Dance With My Father
by TheyCallMeLittleLu
Summary: Isabella Marie Cullen; born 13/9-1676. Her father, Carlisle Cullen goes missing 2 weeks later. Follow her in her fight for survival, when Life throws obstacles in her way. Rated M for harsh and dark themes. NO LEMONS! Canon. Story not for delicate souls. Now Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi :D**

**So, I've been working on this for a while, and I decided to share it with you guys!  
I won't go writitng an essay about the story, just know that it is dark, it's harsh, and if you can't stomach reading about abuse, violence and rape, then I don't think this story is for you.  
It's a long-ass story, and it won't go from point A to point B in 4 chapters. If you think it get's boring, then please bear with me :)  
I've read it through a couple of times, but it's not beta'ed, so if there's mistakes, then so be it. We can't all have perfect grammar ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't like to be a liar, and that I would become, if I told you I owned the characters. I own the story, (NOT Twilight, sadly) and I own whomever you haven't heard of before. So, on with the story, and just don't rub it in my face, that I don't have a brilliant mind, like Stephenie does. Let's get it on with! :P**

**Enjoy! Oh, and please read what A/N's that might come... Who knows; they might be important ;)**

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Chapter 1  
Song: Michael Jackson - You Are My Life  
Carlisle POV

"Father." I greeted him in a polite tone. I respected and loved my father, but to a point he could not get any more wrong. Sure, there might exist Vampires and other mythical creatures, but the way my father handled this situation was very wrong. I don't think one of the people he has had killed was a Vampire. Not even one. But he is getting old; it is time for me to continue. He has been teaching me what he knows, but I am young and I am smarter than him. We have to study the habits of these dark creatures. I have already begun my studying, much to my father's dismay.

But I think I got something right here.

"Carlisle, son." He said.

"You called for a meeting." I said with a small nod in acknowledgement to the others in the room.

"Yes, see there is a hunt this evening, and I expect you to lead it." He stated.

I stared at him. He couldn't mean it; he knew this was my anniversary with my beloved Sophie.

"But Father, it's my anniversary." I breathed. He gave me an odd look, and I decided to prove my point by stating the, for me, obvious.

"Besides Father, I think it would be more convenient, if we studied their habits before hunting them. I know they only come out at night and that they drink human blood; what I think we should do is try and trace down these Vampires." I said. He considered it a moment and then shook his head no.

"No, my son, I will grant you one night but one night only. And only because it is yours and lovely Sophie's anniversary." He stated with a tone that indicated that the discussion was over.

"Thank you Father." I said.

"You may leave the meeting, son. Go home and take care of your family tonight. We are going hunting." I nodded. I walked out of the room feeling somewhat relieved and somewhat resigned. Relieved, because I could be with my Sophie; resigned, because my Father didn't acknowledge my information.

I was 23 years old, lived in London, had a wife called Sophie through 3 years. Sophie was 2 years younger than me.

My Father was the highly honored priest Cullen, the reverent of this small part of London. My name was Carlisle Cullen, and I had a large interest in medicine and wished to be a doctor. But my Father thought differently about me; to him, I would become the next reverent and Vampire hunter.

I disliked his methods dearly, but I could not and would not stand against my own Father. But I did some information search about Vampires in the area. The linked system that lies under the streets of London seemed like a proper hiding place for a Vampire coven.

"My dearest Sophie how are you my love?" I asked as I walked over the doorstep. My Sophie was having a baby in a few weeks' time. She had been pregnant for little over 8 months now, and we were expecting the baby soon enough.

Sophie said she had a feeling it would be a girl. I said to her, that if it was the case I would treat her as a little princess as would I treat a boy a prince.

"I'm fine my love and the baby have just been kicking. I think she's ready soon." My beloved wife said.

"Sophie dearest, I am so very happy. I could not be happier!" I said and folded my hands around her face, kissed her nose, her cheeks and then her lips. She smiled and asked me if my Father had sent me on a hunting trip tonight.

"He would have, but I asked him, that since it was our anniversary today, if I might stay home. He agreed under the terms that I lead the next hunt." I said to her while helping her up the stairs into the bedroom.

"Oh Carlisle dear, please be safe. I and our little Isabella would be devastated if you left us." She was very worried. Isabella was what we had decided to call our little baby if it turned out to be a girl.

"Don't worry my love. I will be safe. Now rest my dear." I said to her and kissed her forehead.

"Thank you Carlisle. I love you!" was the last thing she said before giving in to some much needed sleep.

As the days went by, Sophie started to get contractions. She would gasp and then suck in deep, deep breaths but it didn't seem to help. I was helpless as I saw my Sophie suffer. But the baby was coming and she would be happier than ever, shining like a brighter star than the sun itself. Sophie had always been my shining star, but the way she glowed with happiness when she would coo to her little baby, was enough to make me believe I would have to call her my shining sun instead.

I had progressed greatly in the search for Vampires. I came across a weak coven of three in the sewers of London. They were too weak to go out hunting, and I thought we had a chance. My Father would be proud when we killed these Vampires. He was highly Catholic, and would not hear anything about there not being Vampires in this world. He despised Protestants with a passion rarely seen from a human being.

Today it was the 13th of September.

"GAH!" Sophie exclaimed. I was by her faster than I thought possible.

"Sophie, dear, are you okay?" I asked her. She grabbed my hand, and held it so tightly it became rather uncomfortable. That must have meant she was in labor. Never has she gripped that tightly onto me, never.

"I. Think the... baby... is coming!" She screamed. I picked her up carefully and carried her to the bedroom. I laid her down ruefully and helped her out of her cloths. As she lay there, naked, I witnessed the miracle of a new life coming to the world.

Sophie gasped in pain and I held her hand, while trying to help ease the labor.

"Sophie my dear, push. The baby is nearly here" I said to her, and I felt her grab tighter onto my hand. I smiled reassuringly at her and she screamed out in pain.

A bloody little head appeared. I got tears in my eyes as I laid eyes on the head of my little baby for the first time.

Sophie pushed harder three more times and the rest of the head followed.

We had already provided the bedroom with the necessary equipment if she came into labor earlier than presumed.

She screamed out again and gasped for air.

"Hold on Sophie my love! You have almost provided the world with a new little miracle! Please hold on my dear!" I pleaded with my wife. I looked straight into the deep chocolate pools of eyes my Sophie had, and wished to the core of my heart that the baby would have that exact same color and not my hazel eyes. Sophie's eyes were the most captivating orbs I had ever seen.

"Of course Carlisle. I will not leave you. Not today, not ever." She said with restraint in her voice. She choked it out, and then screamed in pain.

With 2 pushes more I had the small miracle in my arms. It was a girl. My baby-girl, Isabella. Isabella Marie Cullen. Marie after Sophie's Grandmother.

She was perfect. Her bloody body fitted in my arms perfectly and she was the most stunning creature I had ever laid my eyes on. She and Sophie were evenly beautiful, and I felt my heart swell with pride, love and joy over this small child we had provided.

"Sophie. My love, Isabella!" was everything I could get out. I took the small child to the washing tub we had standing on the side of the bed. I poured some water in it, and took a piece of clothing. I dipped it in the water and began washing the small, perfect child in my arms. All the while I tried to calm her down. She was screaming; understandable, she was just inside her mother's warm, safe belly and now she is out in the cold, big and scary London. She still hadn't opened her eyes, but as soon as I began humming a quiet tune, she immediately quieted down and opened her eyes. Those stunning brown eyes stared at me. I got watery eyes as my wish came true; the eyes of her mother were there. They were big, shaped like mine, only slightly big for her age. They were deep and had the exact same color of chocolate brown as Sophie had.

I smiled down at my daughter and to my huge surprise she smiled back. A baby, not more than a few minutes old, smiled at me. It was a perfect, toothless smile and she looked so adorable.

I washed her off in the matter of minutes while hearing Sophie gasp slightly on the bed. The sheets were covered in blood, but I didn't mind.

"Sophie. My Love, here; hold your daughter!" I said as I placed the perfect child in her arms.

"Oh Carlisle. She's is perfect! She looks so much like you!" she said. I just smiled at her, not believing it at all.

"I know Sophie dear. I know she is perfect! And she has your eyes." I breathed. I looked at Sophie and the love and happiness was clear there. I kissed the tip of her nose carefully and then her lips.

I smiled at her and looked down at the most perfect and stunning child ever seen in history. I smiled at Isabella, my perfect daughter, she was watching us with big eyes and she smiled back again. I heard Sophie gasp.

"Did you see that Carlisle? She is not even half an hour old, and she is already smiling!" I could hear the tears in her eyes and looked at her.

"She is one of a kind!" I said smiling. Sophie fed her and clipped the lifeline attached to her belly.

Sophie was so tired, I told her to sleep. I hummed silently to Isabella trying to get her to sleep; it worked quicker than I had thought. When it was late that night Sophie awoke again. She said we should go to my parent's house to announce the great news. I agreed with her, and dressed Isabella in the home made cloths Sophie had made. They fit perfectly.

We made our way through the streets of London to the house of the reverent.

I knocked on the door, and even thought it was late night the 13th, my Mother opened nonetheless.

"Carlisle, my darling, what are you doing here so l..-" She trailed off by the look of utter happiness, love and pride that was on my face. She looked down to my arms were I held my lovely, sleeping daughter protectively.

"Oh!" was all she said before she started crying with happiness. She urged me inside and kissed my cheek.

"Oh Carlisle, she is wonderful. No, she is adorable. Perfect. May I hold her?" she asked. I smiled fondly and handed her my Isabella. She cooed and looked at Sophie with love and pride in her eyes.

"Congratulations Sophie. You have given birth to an absolute beauty." She said before cooing some more.

My Father burst through the door later. I wondered where he had been, but then I remembered the hunt he said I had to lead. He looked at me madly and huffed.

"Father I apologize for not turning up today. But the deal is, Sophie was in labor and I completely forgot. I am sorry Father. It will not happen again." I was quite afraid of this man sometimes.

"Son! Don't apologize! Sophie has born? Where is my grandchild?" He asked. His expression of anger had gone to one of happiness and joy in less than a second.

"Over here John!" My Mother said while still rocking my sleeping daughter.

"Oh!" My Father's response was the same as my Mothers as he walked over to my Mother.

"Her name is Isabella Marie Cullen." Sophie said quietly. I gently took a hold around her shoulders and she leaned her head on mine.

When the time came we had to go home, especially my mother was reluctant to let us go.

"Come back soon!" she said as we waved off.

We walked in the cold night, this night of September. Sophie was carrying Isabella this time and I held her hand.

As we entered our little home I rushed upstairs to change the sheets. They were bloody and still wet. As Sophie laid Isabella in her crib, she smiled hugely to herself. Isabella was already asleep and surprisingly she slept through the night, giving Sophie some peace to her much needed sleep.

As the day rushed on, I came to realize just how much I appreciated my life, and how much I wouldn't live without my two ladies.

Isabella was a daddy's girl, for sure, whenever Sophie wasn't able to calm her down, I was. She hardly ever cried, and she was always smiling. Her big brown eyes were serious for her age, but she was just like a normal baby when it came to development. She was small and fragile, and my Father seemed to soften whenever he was around her. But he also became very protective, and he insisted that I helped him hunt the Vampires. I always carried a piece of Isabella's cloth. Partly for the reminder of her and Sophie - since it was Sophie who made it - and partly as a form for protection. It soothed me to have Isabella's cloth with me and I always breathed in her scent when I was afraid.

Just as I soothed her, she soothed me.

And then the day came where it all ended. All the happiness and peace, everything I was afraid would happen, everything I didn't want to happen, happened.

My Mother died. That was the first thing. I was so shocked and pained. I didn't expect it to happen, and I relied so much on the fact that she was healthy. I guess not as healthy as we first thought. She must have been hiding something, because not even my Father knew that anything had been wrong.

My Fathers group of hunters insisted that I lead them. I was slightly mad at them; I had just lost my Mother, my wife had just given birth to our daughter, and now they wanted me to lead a Vampire-hunt?

But I had to carry on my Fathers work, as much as I disliked to. I had caught that a coven of Vampires lived in sewers so I lead the hunters that way. The Vampire, who came out when they heard us, was very weak but he lunged none the less. I was unfortunately standing in the front and I was bitten. He dragged me along and the rest of the group of hunters chased him. He sucked one dry and fought the rest. Some were able to escape, others were not so lucky. I was left on the sidewalk, gasping and somewhat bleeding.

I just had enough strength to drag myself away from there; I knew I would be burned if I was ever found. I was infected and had to die. I had to leave my Sophie behind, and my little Isabella. My little Isabella, whom I wouldn't see grow up.

I cried silently as I lay in the dark, clutching my only reminder of my family; Isabella's cloth.

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**Aww.. Poor Carlisle. :'(  
I hope you liked it, and please leave a review, you know how to do it ;)  
Oh, and criticism is welcomed; just don't be _too _harsh; my self-esteem won't take it lightly :P**


	2. Chapter 2

Aaand, here we are again :) Thanks to everybody who's read and reviewed, whether it has been this story, or one of the other two I have posted here. It truly means alot to me (=

**DISCLAIMER: I think I forgot to do the disclaimer the last time? Huh, no wonder, it's absolute torture to write these... I mean, who will willingly accept defeat, and admit that they do not own Twilight? Nobody in their right mind would not dream of owning at least a character... But NOOO Stephenie has to go and take that little, slight, sliver of hope from you... Damn it all to hell, in my mind, I own Jasper - finish, done, THE END!**

**Hope you like it.  
Warning: Might be a little sad... :/**

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Chapter 2

Song: Phil Collins - You'll Be In My Heart

Carlisle POV

3 DAYS LATER!

The burning, beyond agonizing pain slowly started to fade from my toes and fingertips. I clutched the cloth as hard as I could, remembering every single moment I had spent with my Isabella. _I am sorry Isabella that I cannot be there to raise you, protect you, and sooth you when you are sad. I love you. _I thought as I burned.

_I am sorry Sophie, for failing you, for not being there to help, for not keeping my promise about being safe. I love you. _

I whimpered silently, I couldn't afford being found here. I understood what I was becoming and I didn't wish to be it. I wished to be with my family and I wished to be with my daughter so much I thought my heart would explode. Instead the agonizing fire raged on, setting my every body part on something that was worse than fire, and left it cold. My heart-rate increased and I slowly - _very_ slowly - felt the fire disappearing along with my heart that felt worse. I cried the last tears I had before the fire dried out my veins and left me with a thirst I despised. I didn't want this, I didn't deserve this. Or better; the _humans_ didn't deserve this. I would be a killer, a monster. I would be a murderer for the rest of the earth's lifetime. Forever. Immortal forever. I cried out silently in despair. When my heart beat for the last time in forever I opened my eyes to a world I didn't knew existed. Everything was so clear that it was unreal and I felt stronger than I ever thought was possible. I turned around faster than humanly possible and felt a twinge of pain because I knew what that meant; I really was a Vampire. A haunted- a killer. I was filled with self-loath and I ran away from my home-city with only one look back. I looked at my house when I went by it. Sophie was sitting on a kitchen chair with Isabella in her arms crying, clutching a piece of paper to her chest as she cried, and Isabella cried. I could hear them from where I stood and the sound was heartbreaking.

The rain began to pour and I wished that the drops that rolled down my cheeks were my own tears. To see Sophie and Isabella like that was tearing my dead heart apart and I sobbed. I soon realized I couldn't cry. My eyes were still dry and I just ran away only thinking of my wife and daughter.

I came to a forest where I hid from everything and everyone. When the sun came out I tried to burn myself; I had read that Vampires died in the sunlight.

That was not true. I only discovered I sparkled in the sun. I cried out in despair and ran to a cliff. I was not sure where I was or how long I had ran, I only knew I was by the ocean, and I launched myself off the cliff without thinking twice about it. I should have realized that, that didn't help. I tried to suck in the water, only to realize that when my lungs were filled with water it didn't make any difference. I wasn't dying like I hoped. I swam to the shore and tried thinking of other possible ways to commit suicide.

I ran to a cottage where nobody was home, thankfully. I hadn't touched one human, and I preferred to keep it that way. For Isabella. For Sophie. The thirst I could feel ragging in my throat was so agonizing, second only to the burning fire of my change.

I stole a knife and ran away. I tried to stick the knife directly to my heart, only to see the knife crumble to a piece of useless iron. I sighed in frustration. I tried digging out my heart only to discover that it was useless.

I buried myself, even as impossible as that sounds – only to reveal to myself that I couldn't suffocate. This new, strange, unwanted body of mine was incapable of destructing.

I refused to drink human blood. It became harder as I became weaker but I hid myself away in a cave deep in the forest. I stayed there without sleeping for weeks. I didn't sleep in this body, I discovered. I didn't eat anything human; it smelled so revolting that I didn't even try. I was able to dig a 6 feet deep hole with the bare hands in under 2 minutes. I was fast, I was strong; I was a monster.

I crept out of the cave sometimes, for change.

One day a herd of deer came by. Without thinking I lunged at one. I sank my teeth into its skin and sucked it dry. Blinded with thirst I lunged at another one, then another one, until I had drunk 8 deer. I felt full, but the ragging in my throat was only dulled. I smiled for the first time in 2 and half months. It felt strange.

I didn't have to drink humans. I could drink animals. There was blood in them. I was happy by this revelation.

I stayed in the forest for 6 months, without interacting with humans at all.

Once there came a Vampire by. His name was Heath. He was red-eyed, had muddy-colored hair and a friendly yet reserved face. He was an ongoing nature, he liked to travel around. A nomad. He told me about his life as a Vampire as soon as I had convinced him that I wasn't out for a fight. I had never liked fighting, that was partly why I loathed Vampire-hunting. I told him about my human life since I had only been a Vampire for 6 months. He had laughed when I had told him about my first months as a Vampire.

"You have never tasted human blood?" He asked with a surprised and confused expression.

"Not once. And I do not intend to. My daughter deserve better." I said to him.

"Wow, impressive. I must tell you though, it will be hard to interact with the humans if you ever intend to. I have tried once, and I ended up slipping when I came across a man in a dark alley. I found out I needed to be full if I would ever interact with humans again. Good luck!" He said with sarcasm in the end. I just smiled at my first friend I ever met as a Vampire. Heath stayed with me for a while but had to move on. He told me my eyes were a strange color. That made me curious. I wandered to a small pond I used to wash myself. I had expected the water to feel cold to me, instead it felt warm. Just as warm as myself, which told me I had icy cold skin. I sighed when I discovered that.

The mirror the water provided when it lay absolutely still, showed me what he meant. But it was also the first time I saw myself after I had changed. I had never bothered to look at myself when I bathed and I really hadn't thought about looking at myself.

I gasped at what I saw; Vampires' faces changed under the fire apparently. I still looked like myself sort of; my hair, eye shape, lips were still the same, but the lips were fuller and the eyes were amber.

When I saw myself I decided I wanted to make the best out of my situation. I had always wanted to be a doctor, and I didn't need to sleep.

I ran towards a city, a long way from London...

I studied at night, went to a medicine school in the day and when it was sunny I studied for myself. I read a whole lot of books and as the years dragged on I moved from city to city where I would either find an abandoned cottage or live in cages. I got myself part-time jobs. Surprisingly I was never declined and as I worked up my fortune I soon had quite an amount of money. I didn't need food so all the money I would have spent on that was safely kept in a safety-box. I read all the time; if it wasn't studies it was literature and what book I could get my hands on. Reading became my only distraction, but I felt lonely. I thought about my family every day, while I read, while I studied, while I did everything. My brain had more room than I could ever think was possible, so I was able to do both and still learn from my studies. It came naturally to me to read everything; and I remembered everything with perfect clarity meaning I didn't have to read the same book twice, and that I learned faster. It was quite convenient; I was soon cleverer than the doctor who taught at the seminarian.

Isabella's piece of cloth had its place in my pocket. I took it with me everywhere and I intended to keep it that way.

I took a doctors degree and started working on a hospital on the dayshifts. Human blood was difficult to be around in the beginning, but I just stopped breathing, and only breathing small breaths if I had to. But the more I worked, the more used to it I got.

I watched as the cities grew in size and scientists working on projects I would have rolled my eyes at, if I hadn't seen what I had seen. Hadn't lived through what I had. Hadn't learned what I had.

It had been 7 years, and I still had to resist the urge to go back to London and find Sophie and Isabella. I wanted to see them so badly, but I knew I couldn't. I wanted to watch Isabella grow up, watch her through her childhood. I missed swinging her around, tugging her in, and soothing her when she cried. But I resisted, I couldn't-

As the year passed, I moved to Scotland, from there to Ireland, and there from I moved to France. Or rather swam to France. There I got the nightshifts at a hospital. I learned the language quickly and I befriended more Vampires.

In Great Britain I got to know more Vampires than just Heath; Alistair was rather grumpy, but I got to know him. He preferred to live alone, to not have company, but I somehow managed to become his friend. He was a quiet person but kind.

Then there was Siobhan and Liam in Ireland. Numerous of nomads had I crossed paths with, and had become friends with. Garret, he was a nomad, an adventurous one and he was kind and happy. There was Susan; a small redheaded, sweet girl, with the gift of pulling her preys to her, even if they wanted to run they could not. It was like an invisible bond appeared between her and her prey; she drank humans, but other than that, we became great friends. Jason; tall and quite large for a vampire – bigger than I was – around the stomach that is.

Tony; a man with long, black-hair and a slouchy figure. I crossed paths with many others as well; some I became closer with than others.

Oh how I wish I wouldn't be damned like this forever. How I wished I could still be human and see my little Choco grow up.

Choco, my daughter. Choco, because she had the same stunning brown eyes as her mother. Oh Sophie.

I sighed and curled up in a ball in the bed I held no use for.

_I miss you. _I thought out to the persons who would never hear.

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**So? I would be one happy gal, if you would be so kind and let me know what you think of it. This story is a soft spot for me; I kind of like it, and I would be so sad to see that all my work was wasted... :O**

**Thanks for reading! :D**

**- Lu**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hi (: Okay, I'll just wish you all Merry Christmas (I know it's waaay too late for that, but still) and HAPPY NEW YEAR! :D **

**Warnings: Mentions of violence, sex - though nothing lemony - and then this chapter is really sad :'(  
Rating: It's still rated M, for violence and abuse **

**DISCLAIMER: S Meyer owns everything Twilight. Damn it all to hell... -.- ;)**

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Chapter 3

**Song: Celine Dion - All By Myself**

**Bella POV**

My dad went missing when I was only about 2 weeks old. My grandmother died when I was about 2 weeks old. Meaning my Father went missing the day after my grandmother died.

I only had one clear memory of my Father. I had seen paintings of him and my Mother together, but I had only one clear memory of him. My Mother told me it was the first sight I ever had, the sight of my Father smiling down at me. The first time I opened my eyes, he was there. It was surprising how I could remember it, but it was so clear in my head, that it was like it was burned into my mind.

I had opened my eyes and seen the warm, smiling, happy face in front of me. He had warm hazel eyes high cheekbones, soft, full red lips and a straight nose. He had very blond hair that surrounded the top of his head in soft curls.

He was very handsome, my Father. He radiated brightness, happiness and safety. His face was open and warm, not one trace of hostility or anger. His hazel eyes shone with love, and as a big smile spread on his face, I immediately smiled myself. That's where I can't remember anymore. Just that picture of my Father. I had dim memories of him too, but that one stuck with me.

When I was 2 weeks old my Grandmother died, of some kind of disease. She must have hid it, because when my Mother would speak of it, she never mentioned they knew anything about her illness. I only had one memory of my Grandmother as well. Her facial expression was surprised but filled with happiness and joy. That was the first time she saw me. She had dark brown hair that waved just past her shoulders in big, soft curls. I guess I know where I had my curls from.

She had hazel eyes, just a shade darker than my Fathers. Her eyes were big and soft, but they had hardness to them, an edge of something. Her cheekbones were placed a little higher than normal, and her red lips were full and smiling. She was very beautiful to say the least. Her eyebrows were perfected, and even though it wasn't normal to be plucking your eyebrows in the 1600's, she did. And she was a lovely person, according to my Mother. I had always been raised to look carefully at every person I met, to memorize them, so I wouldn't have to be impolite if I ever met them again. Impolite as in: "Have I seen you before? Sorry what was your name again?"

It came in handy. I was also raised to be polite and caring. I never got everything I asked for, I wasn't spoiled.

When I would ask my Mother what my Father had been like she would always say: "Oh darling. He would have treated you like a princess, spoiled you rotten and given you everything you ever asked for, without thinking twice about it. He would go to the end of the world for you, and through fire and ice to help you. He was loving, caring, sweet and a perfect gentleman. He was perfect." The first couple of times she would cry softly when I asked her. But when I apologized to her, she said I needed to know, because only through her, could I know my Father, the half of me. My Mother was a strict person, but I loved her all the same.

She never married another man after my Father had gone missing, and she always put my needs before hers.

When I was 2 weeks and 1 day old, my Father went missing.

My Mother cried for weeks. He never came back.

When I was 2 years old, my Mother's parents died of the same lung disease.

The clearest memory, I have of them were the first time I met them. My Grandmother had light blond hair with natural honey highlights in. She had big, bright blue eyes and a strict yet sweet face. The edge there was to her facial expression seemed to melt the first time she saw me. When I would visit them, they would always correct me if I ever did anything wrong, and then treat me just the way my Mother did it. I never got too much, but I was spoiled more by them than by my Mother. Not that I minded not getting too much. Surprises weren't my thing, and I didn't like unnecessary gifts. That meant they spent money on me, when they should be spending them on themselves. But I was raised to be polite, and I always accepted my presents- even if it took them a few tries to get me to agree first.

My Grandfather had tougher looks, and his eyes were small and wary. He had been in the army for many years, and suspected many things. He was also a fun character once you got under the tough skin of his. He had black hair with a black mustache, and his green eyes sparkled in the first memory I had of him. But then they died and I never got to see them again. My Mother cried a long time again.

I learned how to walk when I was about 9 months old. Early age I know, but my Mother became too weak to carry me around all the time. So I learned how to walk. I learned how to speak somewhat properly when I was about 1½ years old. I spoke my first word on my 1st birthday. Ironic isn't it? It went really fast; I spoke my first word, and 6 months later I was somewhat intelligent to listen to. Somewhat.

When I was 5 years old, my Grandfather died.

I have more clear memories of my Grandfather. The first one was always the clearest; all the first impressions of people I met were. That helped me to recognize them later on.

My Grandfather was a tall and lean man; he had blond hair and strict features. His blonde hair was more like a dirty-blond than my Fathers almost silver hair. My Father looked somewhat like his Father. He had the same hairline, lips, and the same straight nose. But my Father's features were softer and warmer. My Grandfather was a very strict man; he was a priest and his religion was as important as his family.

His eyes sparkled, but there was a kind of hard edge to it. Like he had seen too much in this life but still managed to stay happy.

He was very angry when my Father went missing. Not with my Father, but with the Vampires he was sure had taken him and eaten him. I rolled my eyes at it then.

My Grandfather had not much information of history other than what his religion told him. If he knew more about history, he would have known my Father would have been drank.

My Grandfather had dark blue eyes, and they were very pretty. When he was happy that is. When he was mad it was like watching an ocean going wild in a storm. brought me up in his own manner. But he never slapped me. Not once. He believed it was wrong to hit children. And even more wrong to hit women. And I was a small woman, which only strengthened his belief. I loved him dearly, but when he was mad, he was a little frightening. But he couldn't stay mad at me for long, and he was rarely mad at me because of the way I was raised. To be polite and never do anything wrong. Papa wouldn't approve. When my Mother would speak of my Father to me, she referred to him as 'Papa'. That was what she had always wanted me to call him. So I did.

My Grandfather died in a terrible fire. The fire caught outside the office in the church. I believe someone started it. He was locked inside and we were never able to bury him. My Mother and I cried a long time. I was old and developed enough to understand what was going on.

When I was 13 years old my Mother died.

I had never experienced pain as cruciate as that. I was devastated for weeks. I cried a few days, constantly, but after my tears, I only wandered around inside the house. I could cook and take care of myself, so I didn't starve or caught a disease. I have never actually caught anything. Only minor colds. And once a flu. Nothing serious. Though, you could die of Flu in the 1600's. But I was taken great care of by my Mother and Grandfather.

My first memory of my Mother was a little while after the birth. Or so she told me.

After my Father had washed me off, he carried me to her, where she lay on the bed panting and mending from the hard birth. It was a miracle she was able to go outside the same day. Not many could pull that off. But my Mother was one of the strongest persons I have ever met. She had long mahogany hair and deep chocolate brown eyes. Her face was stunning; it was heartshaped, she had high cheekbones, her lips were slightly uneven- the upper lip a bit fuller than the lower. Her nose was straight and perfectly proportioned. She smiled brightly down at me in the first memory. No, beamed is more like it. I looked a lot like her. I had long brown hair that waved down my back in soft curls. Just like her and my Grandmother. I had her eyes, though mine were duller than hers. My eyes were bigger than normal standard and they were framed with lashes that were darker than my hair. I had her lips too, but my nose, cheekbones, hairline and eyeshape was from my Father.

She died of a heart-attack. As the time went by, and she got older she became weaker. Not from starvation or dirtiness in the house. No she became weaker when my Father wasn't there to help her. She became depressed. I watched my Mother die, at the age of 13. I wasn't mad at my Father; I could never dream of it. I was sad that I had lost him and wouldn't ever see him again. And then when I was 13, my Mother died and I was all alone in the world. But I didn't feel sorry for me, more for my Mother. She was 34 years old when she died.

When I was 13 years old, I was adopted by my Mother's brother. My uncle.

It had only been a few months after my Mother died that my uncle, James, and his wife Amalia, adopted me. My first impression of them were falseness.

They fakedbeing broken when my Mother died. My uncle had dull brown hair that was slightly dirty. It hung to his shoulders and gave him a slightly frightening look. His eyes were near black, and held no warmth in them. They glinted dangerously. He had sharp features and observing eyes. He definitely wasn't pretty. Average would be a good word to describe him. Average with a hint of danger. His nose was slightly twisted; it looked like it had broken and was healed without being put in place.

His smile was a tight line on his face that looked more like a smirk. I was instantly afraid of him, but I never showed it. My Mother always told me: "Do never show any sign of discomfort or fear, Isabella. That will only bring trouble to your life. It will convince people that you are an easy victim and you are not." My Mother was a very clever woman. How she could possibly be related to my uncle was beyond my understanding. Where she was beautiful and radiated warmth and happiness, my uncle was average and radiated jealousy and danger. No happiness, no warmth. Coldness and danger.

Amalia was almost the opposite of James in looks. Her hair was dirty blond and her eyes piercing blue. But the piercing-ness wasn't a good thing. She was cunning. I didn't like her. She was more like an ice-queen. No motherly bone in her body. Her face was tight and wrinkled up everytime she saw me. They only adopted me for their reputation. They lived more north than we did, but they still had a reputation there. They were the "good people" in their area. Not likely. Amalia was dangerous as well, fast as a snake. Her hands were like snakes themselves; they could be at her sides one moment, and before you knew it, they could have slapped your cheek the next.

When I got to their house I saw how dirty and messy it was. It was disgusting. I had not been there an hour before I was slapped across the cheek and yelled at for not starting cleaning immediately. I was their personal slave after that. I hated it. I was dirty, nearly didn't get any food at all, I had to listen to their disgusting conversations. And at night I had to listen to their surprisingly active sex-life. It was disgusting, I was 13 and I had to listen to their moaning and screams.

Even when they fought they would have sex at night. If they were still mad or not. Amalia was as craving as James was. They were disgusting to listen to. I tried tuning them out, but it was difficult when they screamed like that. Well when Amalia screamed and James yelled. The memories of the time there were only bad. I only smiled forced smiles while staying there. I cried every night, hoping my sobs would tune out the screaming and yelling. Not likely.

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**Sorry it's a little short :S But I hope you liked it anyway, because this story means a lot to me. It took me ages to write it, because everything had to be perfect you know? If you don't like it, that's fine, I'll never force you to read it... Like I actually could *rolls eyes* But I'd appreciate it if you would take the time to review, but oh well ;)**

**- Lu**


	4. Chapter 4

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Heysan! :) Sorry for the long hold-up :/ I have good news; I'm on winter-break right now, so that means possible more updates! :D Man I love me some holidays... ;)

**DISCLAIMER: Listen, I use all my money on food (almost - it's sad really), and if I was the author of Twilight, I would be super loaded (which I'm not - even sadder) and combining that with my food-obsession I would be real fat right now. Like 5 baby-elephants fat, which I'm not... All that equals in me NOT owning Twilight, so let's stick with that :D**

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When I was 14 years old, my Uncle started abusing me. Sexually.

I was always developed early, and my puberty was no exception. He came to my room when I was nearly asleep after "yelling" quite much with Amalia. He closed and locked the door before grinning evilly. I crept to the farthest corner of the wall- I slept on a dirty old rug- fear clear in my eyes. I cried out as he neared me slowly. I shuddered remembering his words.

"Now now Isabella. Do not do that. I will have you, and I will have you now. Come here Isabella. I have watched you long enough now. Now I will have you." He said it low, and with no trace of humor. He was as serious as he could get. He meant it. I shivered and whimpered. He placed a hand over my mouth and gripped my arm tightly. I cried out in pain when he gripped me too tight. And I cried because of what was about to happen.

***It's nothing too graphic, but it's definitely not nice…***

He slapped me across my cheek and the glint in his eyes had become more pronounced.

He ripped of my cloths and took no care of the fact that I was still a virgin. I screamed out in pain and tried to escape, but he only slapped me and moaned. It was disgusting. It felt so wrong, and I felt so horrible that I just wished to die.

When he was done I lay whimpering in pain and crying. He locked my room and went to Amalia for another round of screaming and yelling. Did he never sleep? And how could my own uncle do it to me? How could Amalia let it happen? Was she really that cold and heartless?

***End M-rating***

I heard her laughing and had my answer. Yes. Yes she was that cold and heartless.

I tried escaping, but my room was locked and there were no windows in there. I tried kicking the door open but I was weak and tired. I blacked out on the floor only to be woken by a throbbing pain between my legs and on my cheek. Amalia was standing over me with a furious glare and a snarl on her lips.

"Get to work, you filthy animal." And with that I earned another slap and I cried the rest of the day.

My life went on like that for what felt like eternity. James came to my room every other night, and I always cried myself to sleep. Amalia never said anything to James for abusing me; she found it amusing. My life was hell, and I missed my family. My real family. My Mother, my Father. Especially my Father, as I knew he could protect me; take care of me, love me. I missed being loved. I wanted to know my Papa; I wanted to have a happy life. I wanted to start over.

And I could never have any of that. My Father was missing, probably dead. My Mother was dead, my Grandparents on both sides were dead; I lived in hell. My life sucked and I just wanted to get away from there. But I couldn't bring myself to kill myself. I was brought up to the belief that suicide was a crime. I couldn't bring myself to break the only bond I had to my dead family; I couldn't disappoint them like that.

When I was 15 years old, I became pregnant with my Uncle's child. When my period didn't come one week, I freaked out. I had never been late a day in my life, so it was understandable. James and Amalia couldn't get children themselves but I could. And I was about to. With my uncle. I felt disgusting and filthy, unworthy of living and... responsible. I felt responsible of my own fate.

If I had helped my Mother better, I would still be living with her and I would have never even been there. Perhaps I wouldn't even have met them. I tried everything I could to lose the _thing_ that grew inside me. I fell on purpose on my stomach, I hit myself; I did everything I could without sticking a stick up my personal parts and kill it. I was raised not to kill anything, not even a fly. But I felt as if I had to kill it. I hated it. If this had been the baby of someone I loved, I would have never hesitated to love it and care for it, but this was _wrong_.

Of course Amalia realized that I was getting bigger and I deserved a beating for not telling them that James' baby was growing inside me. She was ecstatic that I was with baby. She was not mad at James for putting her _niece_ through this. Oh no she was ecstatic that her _husband_ had _abused _her niece so _she _could have the baby. I cried even more.

When I was about 15 years and 3 months old, I lost the baby. It died of starvation I think. Even though I was pregnant with James' child, they didn't give me more food. Clever, they certainly were not. I was so relieved when the tiny thing from inside me came out. It hurt like nothing I had ever experienced before, but I was happy. Well, as happy as I could be considering the circumstances. It didn't deserve to die; it was just as much a victim as I was. Yet I was glad; I didn't need to go through the labor; I didn't need to provide the world with an unnatural – even if a victim – creature. But of course Amalia and James weren't happy. Not at all. I got the worst beating I could ever imagine, when I frightened told them the baby had died.

They screamed and yelled at me for hours and hit me, kicked me, left me bleeding on the floor before walking away. I was whimpering and crying, trying to keep it down so they wouldn't come out and beat me once again. I crawled to the thing I had to call my room and bleed and cried until I couldn't anymore.

The next morning I was woken again with a slap and a scream that I should get to cooking and cleaning. My life turned into a whole new level of hell that faithful day I lost the _thing_. The abusing continued, and I think they only kept me as long as they did to try and make me conceive again.

But when I was 16 years old I was kicked out from the house because of the abortion. Or because I couldn't get pregnant again. Pick one. Or both. I don't know which one.

They kicked me out of their house one day when I had got such a heavy beating I couldn't walk. I thought they broke my rib and sprained my leg, at least.

I was rather bright by a girl living in the late 1600s who had never gone to school. But my Mother had told me my Papa's dream and I would like to live it out for him. I loved him. I would do that for him. As I was homeschooled I learnt a whole lot of things. I learned how to cook and clean, how to sew and how to handle babies. I learnt how to take care of the most basic wounds and burns that needed medical attention. I learnt the difference between broken and sprained, and the treatment for it.

I tore apart my dress and tied it tightly around me for support. I found some branches thick enough to bear my weight on them and used them as crutches.

And then I went back to where I came from. I lived on the streets begging for food and some money. Not many were polite enough to show me some mercy; here I was, with a sprained leg and a broken rib, and they just worried about getting hurt by me.

I never stole anything. That was below me, no matter how low I seemed to be getting. My Papa and my Mother would not be proud of me if I became a thief. So I never did, and I never hurt anybody.

Somehow I came to London, and found my previous home. The tears started flowing hard as I thought of all the good parts of my life that happened there. I thanked my few lucky stars that it was still the same as when I left it.

I went inside and rummaged around in there. I found some old paintings and jewelry from my Mother and Papa's time. The old family crest my Mother gave me when I became 10. Some of the cloths my Mother sewed me. The ring my Father gave my Mother when he proposed to her. I took everything that meant something to me.

I took some of my Papa's old cloths and an old backpack. I packed cloths and my most precious belongings. But it felt wrong to be in the house alone.

I slept in there for a night, praying before I went to sleep. Praying it would all go away, that I could start over and not have to be bothered with myself anymore. I just wished to get away from all the horrible memories that haunted my mind. Only the good ones, the soothing ones, did I let enter my sleepy mind as I slept on the bed where I was born. With the family crest around my neck and the ring in a silver necklace I found, around my neck too.

For the first time in 3 years I had a peaceful sleep.

I stayed in the house for a couple of days, until the police came one day.

I had been washed and was now feeling somewhat renewed, when two police-officers knocked on the front door. They were dressed in uniform complete with a stick and a large hat.

I only stayed in the house as long as I did because I had nowhere else to go, and I didn't want to live on the streets again.

"Miss? We have been informed that a young woman has been living in here for an amount of days. Correct?" Asked one.

"Yes, that is me. I am Isabella Cullen. This is my mother and fathers old house. Both of them have died, I am all alone now." I said, whispering at the end.

"Stop that; we will not believe it. You will be out of this house in one hour, or you will be hanged as a witch. Understood?" Asked the other. I merely nodded, frightened out of my mind.

"Understood Sir, you will not see me again." They both nodded and turned on their heel to walk away. I stood there for a couple of minutes in complete shock. They did not believe I was the daughter of the old priest's lost son?

I went inside and took the backpack I had packed when I first got there. I took on the crest and cried silent tears as I left the only place I had ever felt safe, once again.

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**I don't know about you guys, but writing this made me really emotional... :/ I hope you liked it, despite it being sad (: **

**- Lu**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello! :) I'm so sorry for the long wait, but FF wouldn't let me add another chapter! -.- I won't waste your time with mindless blabber, so why don't we just cut to the chase;**

**DISCLAIMER: All recognizable characters are not mine; what I own, is my imagination, whatever character you haven't heard of before, and this awesome cookie I'm munching on... ;) **

**WARNING: If you are under 18, I advise you skip the part I have framed with an 'M-rating starts here'. Mentions of rape, abuse, and violence. I advise against reading the part if you can't handle it. I don't do _too_ graphic scenes, but this one is a little more to the graphic side, instead of the mention-side... Sorry :)**

**I promise, this story isn't all dark and sinister; there'll be happy times soon :D**

**I hope you like this chapter, even if it took one hell of a long time for me to post it. :)**

**- Lu**

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Song: Eye of the tiger - Survivor

BPOV

I went into the woods; there would be a bigger possibility of surviving in a cave there than living on the streets. I found a small cave besides a very small pond. None the less I had a place to wash myself, and find water that was somewhat drinkable. In the daytime I was on the streets again, trying to find some work. But in the 1600s not many girls from the streets could get work.

Only once was I lucky. The family needed a babysitter for their three children. I took the job gladly even though the payment was terrible; less than one cent pr. two weeks. At least I had a place to be, I was provided with a bed that was somewhat better than the one I had had at James and Amelia's small house. But I was happy because I got a little food and the children were really not bad to work with.

But it didn't last long, that job. One month.

One month was all I got. Because I refused to have sex with the man in the house. He threw a temper tantrum and I was hit across the cheek. That was when I really started becoming afraid. I crept into the corner, just like the first time James came into my room.

You can guess what happened. This man was just another James. The next day I left early in the morning and I never looked back once. I took what little money I had and saved them in the cave that was more like a home than anything else. I was too afraid to dare going back to my parents' house. I did not dare to go to my Grandparents' house. I stayed in the woods in the nighttime and roamed the streets in the day time. I never used the money I had found in my parents' house. They were the only thing I had left besides the crest and the ring.

Also I found a pair of earrings my Mother had, and I took those with me too.

I wanted to have them on, but I had no holes to them. But it felt like having a piece of my Mother with me all the time if I held them. So I clenched my eyes shot and pierced my own ears.

It took me a while to stick the earring through the skin. I screamed out in pain more than once and cried. But I went through with my plan.

Now I had my Mothers earrings and it truly felt like I carried a part of her always. I took great care of the wounds. I couldn't afford for there to be infection. So I washed my earlobes every day and was careful not to become dirty. I succeeded.

I turned the earrings around as much as I could, to not make the ears heal around the stick. That wouldn't be good. I thanked my lucky star that my Mother had told me something about when she got her ears pierced. How she handled it. I was forever grateful for the knowledge, because I could have my Mother's earrings with me always.

I had my Mother's earrings, my Papa's family crest and the engagement ring my Papa gave my Mother. I didn't wear the ring or the crest. And I kept my hair down always; I didn't want to be victim of thieves. I stayed out of trouble but I was only barely surviving. Mostly I lived of fish I caught myself, or fruit I could find. I lost weight so fast I thought it might be impossible. But I never caught a disease which in itself was a miracle. And I never died of starvation. Which was another miracle. I was a good survivor.

Until I was 17 years old, I lived on the street, barely living through the day.

I didn't have such a great life, but the good memories I had, I would keep forever. I remembered them clearly. But the unpleasant ones were just as clear. If not clearer. I had suffered a great deal of pain in my life, and it was yet to be over.

When I was 17 years old I had experienced what not many had in their entire lifetime. I had been abused and raped, I had lost my entire family, I had been pregnant; I had lived on the streets, in a cave, on a floor. I had earned all of 2 cents in my time on the planet called Earth, and I had experienced all of this in a matter of 4 years. During 4 years had I lived the life of an 80 year old. If an 80 old had ever experienced what I had.

But I learned to take the sour with the sweet and make the best out of my life. A day in December 1693 I was on the streets again, looking for food and water. I had a stray by my side; the dog had followed me whenever I came to the city and would stay by my side until I returned to the woods. I named him Felix; he looked like a Felix.

"Felix, this is the worst time of my life. And I have been through a whole lot. I wish we had a better place to be. If I ever get out of this evil cycle, I will take you with me." I said to him. He was a sweet and loyal dog. Why he was on the streets in the first place was beyond my belief. But I was happy for the company he provided, and I always looked forward to see him.

For some reason he would not follow me in the woods.

Felix was anxious the whole day- that day in December. He had his tail between his legs, and he whimpered and looked frightened around all day. I should have taken it as a warning; get out of the city and stay in the cave. But I didn't.

The snow fell around me in heavy flakes and doubled the already thick layer of snow that covered the ground. My shoes were thin and worn out and I was freezing. Never had I experienced such extreme cold, and it was unnerving to say the least. My clothes were as thin, if not thinner, as my shoes and I was soaked to the core. Felix was so close beside me that his wet fur clung to my leg. Nobody was out. Only one or two people walked past us, but they hurried and then I was alone. Only me and Felix in the snow-covered, dark streets of London.

I stroked Felix's fur as we made our way through the almost impassable weather. Felix whimpered and I stopped.

"What is it Felix?" I whispered to him. He looked me in the eyes; his were big and fearful. I hugged him and felt the shiver through his body.

I got up and walked further. Until I heard a voice. It was a beautiful and yet terrifying sound.

"Stop, young one." He said. I froze with fear. Every part of me told me to run away like a frightened deer. But my body would not react to my common sense. Slowly I turned around and gasped at what I saw.

"W-what are you?" I whispered. Never had I seen such a beautiful face. But I recognized the face, but only slightly. There was a trace of the same features as the ones James had.

He smiled at me; the same evil, dangerous smirk James wore. I gasped.

"J-James?" His smirk disappeared as fast as it appeared. I took that as a yes.

He had black eyes, but they had a hint of red in them. You almost couldn't catch it. But I was observant, I had always been. That was how I was raised. That is probably the same reason I could recognize him.

"Isabella. Come here now." He used the same voice as he did whenever he would come to my room. It meant danger. I knew it was James, and that he knew my name only confirmed my fear. But I still didn't understand how he had become so beautiful.

I turned on my heel, and ran. I ran the fastest I could; Felix right beside me. I could hear a dangerous laughter behind me, and I turned to the left, into an alley. It was dark and smelled like dead people. I hid there, with Felix right beside me.

_He_ came into the alley. My breathing and heart-rate spiked up. How did he find me?

"Oh Isabella? I know you are in here. Do not play games with me." He said. Felix shivered and I did too. I took a hold of him and hugged him tight while silent tears streamed down my face. Suddenly I was in the air and thrown to the ground. I could feel my leg break and screamed out in pain.

"I told you not to play games with me. I missed you Isabella." He said with a sickly sweet voice. Then he licked my neck to my earlobe. He took it in his mouth and sucked on it. Amazing how the earrings survived.

**~~~~~M-RATING STARTS HERE!~~~~~**

His tongue was rock-hard and cold. Ice-cold. Then he ripped of my cloths and without anymore "foreplay" he took hold of my arms and thrust into me. I screamed out in pain. His grip was way too tight; I could feel my bones give in, how they sprained and I could hear it. I nearly vomited. I could hear how my hips slowly broke out of their place, and most importantly; I could feel it. I cried and screamed in pain. Felix whimpered nearby; I could almost hear the shudders in his whimper. But I think he was too afraid to run away.

I trashed and turned under James; I lay there on the cold snow under an ice cold body. With something unnatural and ice cold _inside _me. I shivered in fear, anger and cold. I was freezing and my lips were trembling.

I felt like this was the end of my life. I saw all the good memories in my mind, like I took a re-run of my life. I saw the memory of my Papa and cried harder. A melody was playing lowly in my mind; a melody of a piano. Never had I played the piano myself but I had heard it being played. It was beautiful.

I tuned out James completely and listened to the melody and watched my memories pass by me. I vaguely heard James yell out when he reached his orgasm and I clearly felt my arm break when he gripped even tighter. I just lay there, I stopped moving, and I cried. My hair was dirty and was all over the place.

"You just get what you deserve" was the last thing he said before I felt a pain I had never experienced before. In my neck, it felt like knifes, only million times sharper, pierced through my skin. Then it was gone, only replaced by a throbbing pain. It felt like it became worse as my heart frantically beat. I felt a cold tongue lick were the wound must be now and how the cold from inside me was removed.

**~~~~~M-RATING STOPS HERE!~~~~~**

I heard a cold, heartless laugher as James threw me away.

That is when the fire started tormenting my body. I kept seeing my life pass by before my eyes, as I whimpered in pain. My Mother told me what my Papa had to do for my Grandfather. She told me how Papa used to explain them to her. Vampires; deadly beautiful, lethal and cold. Vampires. James was a Vampire, I was becoming one. I cried out in despair. My Papa wouldn't have wanted this. My Mother wouldn't have wanted this. My Grandfather would have been furious with this. The pain only increased and I whimpered more and more. But I kept quiet. I did not want _him_ to have the satisfaction of have caused me pain. At some point I felt something warm but wet press against me as I lay there in the snow, burning my last moments as a human away.

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**I almost cried while I wrote this... I feel sorry for her, and this is my imagination! Maybe I should get my sanity checked... :O x]**

**Lol, I hoped you liked it enough to review.. :P *hint hint***

**- Lu**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hi folks! Thanks so much to all of you who have reviewed and read this story (: It means a whole lot to me.  
I still stand by what I have written before; this story is not for people who cannot stomach abuse in varying levels. From now on, it won't be bad; there wont be anymore abuse (not that I know of, anyway - there will be a retelling a time or two, though) I am really sorry, if this story causes any of you nightmares; I know it isn't exactly pleasant - but it will be; FLUFF TO COME PEOPLE! :D**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight. I can't take the honor for that one. I can however say that I own Felix The Dog, and whatever weird person - vampire or human the like; maybe I'll even throw in a werewolf - but that about covers it. The songs and references I don't own so there, now you know what a lousy - oh wait. I own one more thing. Can't believe I forgot about it... Of course, I own this story as well... Because I my self have written those words y'all read with my own small hands... :D**

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_Song: Tamyra Gray - Dance With My Father_

_Bella POV_

**3 DAYS LATER!**

I kept thinking about the good times of my life. And especially the image of my Papa, the first memory of him, I kept in my mind as I burned. More than once the fire increased impossibly warmer. Impossibly, because I did not think it could be any worse. But it did, and I whimpered more loudly when it happened. I felt the warm something by my side stir, as I whimpered. And just as I thought it could not be any worse, the fire increased. Again. As impossible as it sounds, it did. But at the same time, it slowly - too slow - started fading from my fingertips and toes.

As the ragging fire left everything cold and neared my heart, it started beating faster. At last it beat so fast I almost couldn't count how many beats it had per minute.

It must have been about 20 beats per _second_. At last, I felt the fire in my heart only. I arched my back as my heart stuttered twice and then went silent.

My body fell back against the ground. The body beside me stiffened and hissed barely audible. I took a deep breath.

Only to discover that the air suddenly smelt different. Where I lay I could actually smell what I had, when I had hid in there before; dead people. I wrinkled my nose; it smelled disgusting. I could smell dirt and disease in the air. I could smell pollution and smoke. There was a heavy smell of something sweet. It was mouthwatering, and I felt an aching pain in my throat.

Before I could do anything about it, I heard someone clear their throat.

I growled and turned around, so I was on my knees and hands. There stood James and I could truly see him now. The red hint in his eyes was more pronounced now and I could see the texture of his skin. When I looked him in the eye, I could feel a stream of images come to my mind. They were of him. It started with him and a girl. She was beautiful and laughing, while he was grim and sour. I realized it was my Mother. I gasped, and I could see James smirking. He probably thought it was because of the sight of him. Arrogant bastard. The images flooded my mind a 100 miles per hour, but I caught every one of them perfectly. I realized it was from his past. Up until the moment he bit me I saw. He had been a Vampire for about 10 months. Meaning a couple of months after he and Amalia kicked me out, he was turned.

"See something you like?" he asked. I snorted.

"Not at all." I growled at him. He lost the smirk and got that dangerous glint in his eyes again. That was when I saw his plans. He wanted to rape and kill me. I gasped when I realized I could see the past and plans of another creature. I narrowed my eyes at him, and felt something in my stomach "telling" me he was a tracker. What that meant, I did not know. But I guessed he could track things.

"Now now Isabella, no need to go all harsh at me" He threatened.

"You raped me, made me pregnant, beat me, and kicked me out of your house. I have lived on the streets for a year now. You raped me again... three days ago. You turned me into something I would rather not be. I hate you. And I want you to die." I said in a growling yet quiet tone. That was when I listened to my voice for the first time. Really listened. It was beautiful and sounded like bells. I was slightly astonished by it, but I quickly collected myself. That was when I realized I was still on the ground, him standing about 3 feet away. In less than half a second I was on my legs and crouched down in front of him. He took the same position as me. It was like my eyes got a red haze to them, because suddenly, he was reddish around the edges. I wanted to see blood. I wanted him to die. Make him suffer like I suffered. I wanted my revenge.

"You cannot win against me Isabella." He said before lunging at me. I stepped to the side as he neared me, with such speed I would have fallen if I was still a human. I took hold of his arm and pulled. I was blinded with rage; I let my instincts take over my body and I did what I felt was right. I pulled his arm, and suddenly it was off. He screamed out in pain and anger, and took himself to where his arm had been a second before. It took me a tiny fraction of a second before I understood what was happening. But then my gaze got the red haze again, and I growled furiously before I tore off the other arm of his. He screamed again but lunged at me anyway. I tossed away the limps and bit into his neck before tearing off his head. My instincts told me to burn him; it made sense somehow; burning to become one, burning to destroy one. But I needed a fire. So I gathered the limps and ran to the forest. I sensed someone following me. I turned around abruptly, only to find Felix freeze in fear when he caught up. I smiled kindly at him, careful not to expose my teeth, and ran further into the forest. I ripped the pieces of James into more pieces and gathered woods to the fire. Then I took two branches and rubbed them against each other so quickly that my hands were a blur. The fire started and I threw the remains of James in the there. A sickly sweet scent filled the air and I ran towards my cave. Felix had sat beside me, and watched me as I destroyed James, with wary eyes.

He ran with me again, though he couldn't follow me. He was too slow. But I wanted him in my life, so I turned around and followed my own scent back. There he was, frozen again. As slowly as possible, I neared him. I sat down a few yards from him, and waited for him to come to me. He rose, with his tail between his legs, and looked at me with fear. I sat still with my hands towards him. Slowly and warily he neared me and sniffed my hands. He cringed away slightly, but sniffed again. He barked out and started licking my hand. I giggled when his hot tongue touched my skin. And his tongue was hot. _Very _hot. I then thought back to when James had touched me as a human and when I had ripped off his limps.

As a human, he was ice cold. As a Vampire, he was warm. Meaning I must be ice cold now.

Slowly Felix' tail started waving back and forth - he was happy. Slowly I took him in my arms and he didn't flinch. I had his trust.

I ran with him to my cave where I started a fire for him to warm up. He lay on his back with his tongue out and his tail brushing against the stone-floor. He looked so peaceful I had to smile. When he was sound asleep, I made my way out of the cave, silent as the night. I realized I had no clothes on, and just took a swim and washed myself in the pond. I also realized that the water no longer appealed to me, and I remembered that Vampires were supposed to survive of Human blood. But I didn't want to kill the humans. I didn't want to be a monster. My Mother, my Papa, my Grandfather, my _Family_ would all be so disappointed in me.

I went out of the water and let the air dry me. I went into my cave and looked through my backpack. I found an old dress and I took it on. It fit perfectly. I gasped as I realized something. What about my earrings? My hands flew to my ears and I could still feel the earrings. They were still there where I had placed them myself. I slowly tried to turn them around and without me knowing how, they still could turn. I beamed as I realized I was able to wear earrings. I carefully held the crest of my Father's family. The Cullen family. The family I belonged to. _How I wish they were still alive. _I thought.

It was still nighttime, and I was bored. The aching in my throat only became worse and I needed to get out of the cave. Felix was still asleep, and I realized the poor dog must be hungry. And thirsty. But he had nothing to eat and nothing to eat from.

I ran through the forest and came across a big stone. I went over to it, and tried digging my fingers into it. To my big surprise I could, and when I blew away the dust, there was a tiny hole in it, of course. That gave me an idea, and I broke off a huge chunk. I rounded it off, and dug a hole into it. And in a matter of seconds, I had a bowl I could use to food for Felix. But it missed something. So I wrote 'Felix' in the side. It was perfect. I made another one and had a water bowl and a food bowl. Now I just needed the food and water for him.

_Dogs like raw meat if I am not mistaken? _I thought. I closed my eyes and smelled the forest. It came natural to me. I smelled something sweet, though not as sweet as the smell in the city. I listened and heard a pumping heart 7 miles to the northeast. I followed the sound and the smell and was there in the matter of seconds. I saw a small herd of deer and without thinking; I threw myself at the largest one. I sank my teeth through its fur and felt the sweet liquid that was its blood smooth out the aching in my throat. That was how I discovered I could drink animal blood and survive of it. I was ecstatic. That meant I did not have to be a monster. When the deer was finished, I still was not, so I tracked down another and drank it. That continued until the aching was dulled down so much it didn't hurt. Then I cut through the fur of my last victim and ripped off its skin. I took the raw meat and placed it in the bowl I had made. I ran back to the cave and filled the other bowl with water.

I went inside the cave and saw that Felix was just waking up. I beamed at my loyal friend and placed the bowl of food and the other bowl in front of him. He tilted his head, barked and threw himself at the food. Then he drank all the water and looked expectantly at me. I laughed.

"You are still hungry are you not?" I asked him.

_"Well yes."_ I stopped laughing abruptly. What just happened? He tilted his head to the side and looked weirdly at me.

_"What is wrong?" _Firstly I shouldn't be able to understand him. He should be thinking or speaking his dog language. Right? Second of all I shouldn't be able to hear him.

"I-I can _hear _you. What is going on?" I said, mostly to myself.

_"I do not know, but can I have more food?" _He asked.

Absentmindedly I nodded, took the bowl and went to where I had drunk the deer earlier. I gathered all the bodies and carried them back. I ripped them apart and placed some of it in the bowl. Felix didn't even notice the bowl. But he noticed the large pile of meat that was placed by the entrance of the cave. He ate and ate for hours until he was fully satisfied.

_"Ahh. Now I feel like sleeping." _So he did. He slept.

I sat down in the corner of the cave and thought about what happened.

One: I was a Vampire and I could survive on animal blood.

Two: I could see the past, power and plans of other vampires.

Three: I could hear Felix' mind.

What happened? Why could I suddenly hear his thoughts? I couldn't earlier. Could I? Did he even think there? What did it mean? My mind started spinning. _How is that even possible? I feel like there is so much room in my mind!_ I thought. I started humming that tune my mind came up with just before my transformation. It relaxed me, and I slowly figured out how this was possible.

When human, I had formed a bond with Felix; I had named him, he had followed me, we became friends- as much of a friend we could be for one another- he had trusted me. The friendship between girl and dog. He had stayed with me during the transformation and followed me though he was afraid of me. He had been wandering around all day with his tail between his legs, when I had been bitten; he was afraid of the Vampire he could surely smell.

He had trusted me and re-formed the bond between us when I had come back for him after destroying James. It was only natural we could communicate. I relaxed at that thought; perhaps it was natural, and my mind translated his language when he thought to me.

It was soothing to know that I had such a bond with him.

As I thought of Felix I sniffed the air to see how he smelt to me. He smelled good; sweet and yet dog-ish. But he smelled sweet in a non-food way. I think the dog-ish smell was what made him non-appealing.

And I had to admit it was relief to have him to talk to. I think I would go mad without anyone to speak with. As Felix slept, I just watched him. He was a lovely dog; he was light brown with a black back. One ear stood up in the air and was black the other ear was hanging down by the side of his head, and it was light brown. His eyes were big and brown, and he had that natural curious look to him. His nose was white, as were the tip of his tail and the paw of the left front leg. Though, the nose was a little darker. His tongue was a delicate pink and his fur was soft even though he had lived on the streets for God knows how long. But he couldn't have been more then 2-3 years old. He was very cute.

And as he lay there in his deep sleep, I could not help but be jealous of him. There he was, warm and had blood running through his veins. And here I was cold, immortal and dead. I was unnatural. I was something not worthy of living, something not worthy of Felix' friendship.

And as I lay there and thought, a simple yet brilliant idea came to my mind.

Perhaps I was not worthy of living. But I _could _be. I could earn some of the trust Felix provided me. I had to earn it, for him. I had to be worthy of his trust.

With that I closed my eyes and waited for the sleep to take me.

But I couldn't sleep. I lay there for hours and still had the same energy as when I first woke up from the burning hell. I figured I had to be too tired to sleep.

So before the sun rose, I went out hunting again. The ache in my throat was becoming worse again. I took down three large deer and brought them back with me, where I ripped them apart and saved them for Felix. He would have to eat it quick, or there would be a terrible smell.

I looked down at myself, to see I had messed my Mother's dress. I cursed under my breath, and took it off. I rushed to the pond and with gentle yet quick movements I rubbed off the stain. I sighed with relief when it came off.

I wanted to have it on again, so I ran around faster and faster until it was dry.

Then I heard Felix in the cave.

_"What is for breakfast?" _he said. I rolled my eyes and pointed to the large pile of meat. He licked his lips and threw himself at the pile again.

"Do not eat too much. A stomachache is the last thing you need right now" I said pointing at him.

_"Okay" _Was his answer.

It was sunny, and I wanted to go take a swim. I did not know if the sun would burn me, so I stuck out my finger into the sunlight right outside the cave. I gasped at what happened. I stepped entirely out in the sun.

I may not burn in the sun, but if I would ever mingle with humans again, it must not be in the sunlight. I sparkled. Millions and millions of what looked like carved in diamonds in my skin sparkled in the sunlight. I smiled slightly of the revelation; it was beautiful.

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**So, Bella is a vampire now, huh? What did you think of Felix? Isn't he cute? :D**

**Lol, I'd love to hear what you think of this chapter... ;)**

**- Lu**


	7. Chapter 7

**Oh God and all that's holy in the Heaven! :O :O As you are all aware, (or maybe not, but then you will be now... ;p) English i not my native language, and neither is German... And today, we found out that out of the 20% chance of pulling out German as the _thing_ we have to examine in, _we _- my class and I - pull it! Of course! We're followed by bad lunck, always have been... It's not even funny... -.- Anyway, I'm freaking out, and so this holiday we just got is going to be used to read German... I'm really bad at German... Oh God... :O :O**

**DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Twilight, so I won't even make a fuss about it, 'cause I never will... :)**

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We stayed in the woods for as long as possible. Maybe a year, I lost track of the time. I hunted every day to keep from hurting in the back of my throat. I didn't dare near any humans. I was afraid I would turn into the monster I didn't want to be. We stayed in the cave and I hunted, fed Felix, he slept and I bathed. It became a routine, and it was becoming boring. But I was happy that Felix was by my side.

Felix even came hunting one time.

_"I would very much like a moose today. Could you manage that?" _He asked. I snorted. Could I manage that.

"I think I am very much capable of that, thank you." I said and rubbed his back.

I closed my eyes and let my senses fill my mind. Felix' smell was no problem; it didn't appeal to me.

"You are lucky. I smell moose 5 miles east. Follow me." I said and ran towards the smell of moose.

I did not hesitate to bring down the largest there. I had improved my hunting skills and I didn't look like a mess when I was finished anymore. I was neat and clean. Felix on the other hand, needed a bath at least every other day because he ate with his body rather than his mouth. It sure looked like it for the matter.

Felix caught up just as I finished ripping the meat off of the bones.

_"Mmm... Moose!" _Felix said. I stepped aside and let him eat. I brought down a deer and a fox. The fox didn't taste good, but it was food. Too small though.

Felix and I walked casually back. I suddenly froze and sniffed.

"Stop Felix. Pretend like you do not understand me, and like you are afraid. Hide!" I whispered. He looked confused.

_"Why would I do that?" _He asked.

"Vampire! Hide!" I hissed out under my breath. He stuck his tail between his legs and ran.

_"I will meet you in the cave." _He thought to me.

I stood still and waited. This was my area at the time, but I should get moving. I needed new surroundings and new challenges.

"Why hello there, beautiful." The voice of a male Vampire sounded from behind me.

I turned around and looked at him; he had shoulder long brownish hair and red eyes. He gasped when he saw me; why I have no idea of.

His past flashed before my eyes fast and I saw that he was changed in 1539 by a young female Vampire, her name was Fiona and she missed company. They had lived together as friends up until the Vampire hauntings started; she was killed. How they managed to kill her was beyond me; I had learned that I could not be harmed easily.

My gut told me he no power had, and that his plans were to get to Italy where he planned a visit with an old friend in Volterra.

His name was Theo, and he seemed nice enough. At least he was not hostile.

"Hello. My name is Isabella Cullen. And who might you be?" I asked him. I did not want to tell him about my power. He was the second Vampire I had met in my time in the forest; the last one had the intentions of killing me; too bad for him I was faster and was finished with him before he could know what happened.

"My name is Theo. I do not remember my last name. It is very nice to meet you, Isabella." He said.

"The pleasure is all mine." I replied.

"So what is the story behind your eyes?" He asked. I was confused. Didn't my eyes look like his?

"My eyes?" I asked. Now he was confused.

"They are golden. They are supposed to be red. How did that happen?" He asked me.

"You survive on humans, yes?" I said. He frowned and nodded; I already knew the answer, his past showed me how he without mercy killed humans. They did not mean anything to him.

"You see, I survive on the blood of animals. I do not want to kill humans." I said without emotion, this conversation did not interest me. His interest seemed to increase though.

"Really? That sounds odd." He said. I shook my head slightly and smiled at him.

"Yes. I do drink animal blood perhaps that is why my eyes are golden." I laughed slightly.

"How did you end up in here?" He asked me. I sat down on the ground and motioned for him to do the same. He sat down in front of me, and I decided just to tell him the necessary.

"In December 1693, I was living on the streets. A Vampire found me a late night and I ran away from him. I did not know he was a Vampire, but I was afraid of him. He, of course, followed me. I hid in a dark alley; I had no idea what he wanted from me. He threw me on the ground and..." I got to the hard part. I did not like to talk about what my Uncle did to me.

"H-he raped me. I could feel how my hips and arms broke as he was being too rough for a human to endure it. He then bit me, and three days later I woke up from the horrible burning only to see he had stayed in the alley. I was infuriated and I ripped him apart and dragged him to the woods where I burned him. Since then I have been living in the woods. I drank a deer the first day in the forest and have never tasted human blood." I smiled after telling the short version of my story. The long version would take hours to go through. Perhaps not, but I didn't want to go into detail. He looked pleased with the fact that I had killed my creator.

"Ahh I see. He must have been really stupid." I just nodded.

"Do you have a gift?" He asked. I was frightened for a moment until I composed myself and looked him directly in the eyes.

"Yes I do. I know that you do not have a power, that you were created by a Vampire called Fiona, that you lived together until she was killed by Vampire hunters. I know all about your past and I know that you are heading to Italy to visit a friend. Correct?" I said to him.

He looked mildly shocked. Then he hissed. I was on my feet and crouched down 5 yards from him. He looked shocked at my reaction. He held out his hands.

"Please. I mean no harm. You took me by surprise. I assure you, that is all." He sounded apologetic.

"I apologize too. I should not have reacted that way." I looked at him to see if he really meant it. His plans had not changed, so I assumed he meant it.

That was how I learnt that after the first time I was told about his past, power and plans, I needed to concentrate to find out his plans again.

I sat down again and he told me about his and Fiona's life and about Vampires in general. I was very grateful for the information.

"The Vampire-world has been ruled by the Volturi for over 1000 years. Aro, Caius and Marcus are brothers, I do not know if it is biologically, but they rule the Vampires. There is one main rule; keep the secret. Humans must not know about Vampires. How Vampires became known, I have no idea of, but the Volturi are surely working on repairing the damage. The rule consists of many things. You may not move around in the sunlight amongst human beings. In general, what could expose the Vampire-race is illegal. You will be punished with death if you break the rule." Theo told me. I nodded in response and absorbed everything. This was important knowledge. Perhaps I should visit the Volturi myself.

"The Volturi has a guard. They are all Vampires with gifts. Only Caius do not have a gift. Aro can read your every thought through touch and Marcus can read the bond between people. They live in the Castle of Volterra." He told me with a lecturing glance. He looked like a Father teaching his children to stay out of trouble.

"How old are you Isabella? I mean when you were changed, how old were you? I myself was 32 when I was changed. I have not aged since." He asked out of the blue.

"I was 17. I had just turned 17 actually. My birthday was the 13th September. I only know so because my Mother kept telling me." I smiled thinking of my Mother. I could remember my times with her as was it yesterday.

"Hold on a minute. You can remember that? I remember almost nothing from my human life. And my memories are muddy, like when I was changed there was a filter removed from my eyes." He said. I knew what he meant with the filter.

"My memories are clear. Of course, my memories of my Vampire time are even clearer, but I do not feel like I see through mud when I look back at my human life. My first memory was from when I opened my eyes for the first time. The memory of my Father. He died when I was 2 weeks old. Or went missing, I do not know what happened to him." My mood fell drastically; it made me depressive to talk of him because I wanted nothing more than to know him.

"I am sorry Isabella. But it is simply amazing that you can remember your human memories so clearly." He sounded astonished.

"I was very observing as human; I was brought up to be." I explained.

He shrugged his shoulders.

"I have another thing I want to tell you. I feel I can trust you, and I certainly hope I am right." I said warily.

"You can trust me Isabella. But I cannot assure you that Aro will not find out. He can read every thought that has ever crossed your mind remember." I nodded; I did remember. But that didn't mean I wouldn't want to tell him. It was nothing big.

"I know. Then he will also know that I would be so very grateful if he did not tell others." He nodded.

"You see, I wasn't alone the night I was changed. I had a dog with me, a dog that had followed me around when I lived on the street. I named him Felix, and we became friends. We formed a bond. When I was changing, he laid beside me instead of running away. He has followed me ever since, even after I was turned. I can communicate with him. I think my mind translates his thoughts so I can understand them. We can speak with each other. If you want to stay a couple of days, then I would very much like if you did not pose a threat to him. He has been through a lot, and I do not want him to be afraid." I said. He looked at me with shock evident on his face.

"That is amazing. Can I meet him?" Theo asked. I smiled brightly. He did not think I had lost my mentality.

"Yes." I stood up, and motioned for him to follow me. When we neared the cave I stopped him.

"Hold on" He nodded with excitement shining from his face.

"Felix. The Vampire I met in the forest is here. His name is Theo, and he do not pose a threat to us. Will you come out?" I asked.

_"No threat?"_

"No threat. I have seen his plans. He is heading to Italy." I told him.

_"I believe you. And I trust you." _Felix said. I smiled and told him to get out here. I took a few pieces of meat and tossed one to him when he stepped out. Theo stood there with disbelieving eyes. I laughed slightly; it was a sight to behold.

"Felix, bark if you understand what I say." I said. He barked. Theo shook his head and looked like he had just seen a fish with the head of a cat.

_"How can we show him I really do understand and that you can hear me?" _Felix was confused.

"I do not know Felix." He shook his head and warily stepped closer to Theo.

"Theo, stand still until I say it is okay. Felix does not need a fright." He nodded and stood very still.

Felix' little white nose touched Theo's hand and started sniffing.

_"Really no threat?"_ he asked.

"Really." I said. Then Felix licked Theo's hand and I laughed.

"You can move now Theo, Felix believes you are no threat." I said.

"I would never harm such an interesting creature." He said. He stroked Felix' fur and they played around. It was a funny sight.

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**So, there! I hope you liked it! :D  
Please be so kind and leave me a review! :P**

**- Lu**


	8. Chapter 8

**I come in peace! And I bring updates! ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: For some reason I have to keep doing these... I do not own Twilight. Duh. :D**

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_Previously: Felix' little white nose touched Theo's hand and started sniffing._

_"Really no threat?"__ he asked._

_"Really." I said. Then Felix licked Theo's hand and I laughed._

_"You can move now Theo, Felix believes you are no threat." I said._

_"I would never harm such an interesting creature." He said. He stroked Felix' fur and they played around. It was a funny sight._

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Theo stayed a week or so before he needed to be on the road. I said my goodbyes to him; I had become great friends with him, and Felix had too.

I started doubting Felix liked the same food every day, so I started roasting the pieces of meat. Felix seemed to enjoy that, and I discovered the meat could last longer without smelling.

"Felix I have considered moving." He looked at me while chewing on his meat.

_"Yes, the change would be nice." _He said. I nodded.

"How does Scotland sound to you?" I asked.

_"I do not know. But I think I would enjoy a larger city. Not as large as London though." _He informed. I thought a little about it. Scotland didn't sound so appealing right at the time to me either.

"How about we see if there is a good place to live around Dublin? I have heard this old song about Dublin, and I always wanted to see it." I stated. Felix looked amused.

_"We could try it. A song? Can I hear it?" _I laughed.

"Okay Felix, you can hear it." I then started singing "Molly Malone".

_In Dublin's fair city, where the girls are so pretty,_

_I first set my eyes, on sweet Molly Malone..._

_"You are a good singer Isabella. Do you mind if I call you Bella? Isabella is a little long..." _Felix thought. I was amused. 'Isabella' was long? I guess it was. And Bella sounded rather nice actually.

"Thank you Felix. Sure, you can call me Bella. Can I call you Fee?" I asked him. He wrinkled his nose. I laughed and he barked at me.

"Do you want to sleep through the night, or can we leave now? I would like to get there quick." I stated.

_"Can't I sleep and we can go at the same time?" _He asked. I smiled.

"I will just go gather my belongings. Go wash." I instructed.

Half an hour later he was sound asleep in my arms, and I was running through the forest like a lightening.

It started raining when I had run for about 4 hours. I didn't want to run in the rain, so I laid down Felix and quickly build a small tree-house. Though that was an overstatement. It was more like some trees standing against each other with a floor of dry leaves and branches. Carefully I laid Felix in there and went hunting.

There was no exciting food around so I settled with more deer. I sighed; it was becoming a boring necessity. I took the food to Felix and ran back.

He was pacing back and forth when I got there.

_"I thought you had left me!"_ he cried.

"Aww Felix, I would never do that to you! I have brought you a little food. Eat, you must be hungry." I tossed him the pieces of raw meat, and he happily ate everything.

"We will just wait until the rain quiets down, and then we will run again." I stated. He nodded, and went to sleep. I swear that dog slept more hours than he was awake.

It rained for days, but when it finally cleared up we were on the road again.

I ran with Felix in my arms for a day, and then we were there.

Dublin's woods stretched before us in oceans of green and brown. It welcomed us with open arms, and I smiled brightly at the sight. _New surroundings. _I thought when I sought the nearby bushes for danger. I found none, and so, I woke Felix up.

"Felix, we are here. Look at the sight; it is beautiful is it not?" I asked him. He nodded, he was still sleepy.

I ran around trying to find a good place to be. And that was when I found it.

It was an old cottage, crumbling to the ground. But it had charm; a homely feeling. It was placed in a little clearing in the woods; a small path led to the cottage and there was several wild flowers growing near the house. The place was over-grown with high grass and weeds. It needed a loving hand, but I was just the woman to do so. It would take less than a week. 3 days at the most. I smiled and said: "This is the place" mostly to myself though.

I walked closer and sniffed. No human or Vampire had been here for I would say at least 20 years. Felix cocked his head to the side. I sat him down and ran around the cottage taking it all in. It would be perfect.

The door croaked open slowly; half rotten, and hanging at the hinges. It opened up into a small living room where there was a small fireplace with a pot hanging from a hook. The place was filled with cobwebs, and needed a thorough cleaning. There was a small bedroom and that was it. But it had a homely feeling to it, and I already loved it. Felix dumped himself on the ground. He was exhausted, though it was not him whom had run all day.

There was a window with cracks and it was so dirty the sunlight could not break through. There was no water, but there was a bucket. I took it and went exploring in the woods. I found a well, and lowered the bucket to get the water. In that moment I felt so human and I smiled at the thought. Felix brought out the humane feelings in me, and for that I was grateful. I didn't know what to do when Felix was no more. It was a horrible thought.

As soon as the bucket hit the water, I pulled it up again. I worked at Vampire speed, and I was very, _very_ fast. I decided that I should start cleaning the outside of the cottage first. The windows desperately needed a cleaning, so I worked my magic around the house. And magic, it was. When I was finished scrubbing and rubbing the dirt off, it shined with a whole new level of brightness. My Vampire movements helped a lot; I do not think the dirt would have come off that easily was I a mere human. I was not delighted or happy with this life, but it started showing me some advantages.

The door was hopeless. It would be easier to make one myself. So I started to. I found old tree trunksand elastic branches and bound them together. It worked. But I was not that skilled in handcraft and the door was not as good as it could have been. But it would work until I found a better solution.

I went into full cleaning mode and found myself a "duster". It was just a branch off of a tree that had leaves on. I dusted down all the cobwebs and it helped surprisingly a lot. But there was still dirty, so I went to get another bucket of water.

When Felix woke up I was half done cleaning the living room. I scrubbed the floors and walls down until there was no longer a single flake of dust left. I used my Vampire senses to get everything away. I would not live in dirt, like I had the past 4 years. First at my so called uncle and aunt's place, and thereafter, the cave in the woods.

The wood used to build the small cottage was once light, but had darkened over time. It had desperately needed cleaning for years now. But I felt like I had gotten a good grip of it and that I was headed the right direction with this. I was immensely happy about my new cottage; it was a perfect place for someone like me to be. And Felix would without a doubt be happy for it here too. Considering he and I had lived in a cave for the last year and before that lived on the streets. Compared to that, this was paradise.

The cottage needed some support if it was to last, so I fell trees and cracked them off so they would fit inside and I used them as support for the ceiling.

The bedroom was next. The bed needed to be changed and the room needed cleaning even more than the living room. If that was even possible.

I scrubbed for 2 days before I was happy with the outcome. And the cottage didn't look the same at all.

I had gathered firewood and the fire was on in the cottage every hour of the day, giving it a warm and welcoming feeling in the small house. I was always careful with the fire; Felix needed me. I cooked too. The food smelt horrible but Felix enjoyed it, so I was happy that he was happy.

I cooked soup and roasted the meat, I mixed it with plants I found in the forest and I served it all with a bowl of water.

One night whilst Felix was eating, I decided I wanted to study and earn money.

My Mother had taught me how to read; she did not want me to be unable to understand what was going on just because I was not able to read. She had taught herself how to read, with my Father's help; it was rather impressive. And I would be forever grateful for my knowledge.

"Felix I have considered going to the town and loan some books. I want to study medication. It was my Papa's dream to become a doctor, but he never reached his goal. I want to do it for him." I stated suddenly. He looked at me with surprise.

_"If you are careful, I will not stand in the way. I think it is a good idea; then you would be able to earn money too." _He said whilst nodding his head.

"I do not think women can have jobs. I want to change that though." I said. He just nodded again and continued eating.

Felix was a very clever dog; never had I heard of a dog who could understand what you said. It was remarkable, and I sure did love him for it. And considering the fact that he was not afraid of me was, too, something quite extraordinary.

"Go to sleep Felix, I'll have some food ready for you when you wake up. Meanwhile, I will be going to Dublin. But if I am not back when you awake, don't fret; I will be here." I smiled warmly at him, and he returned with a goofy doggy grin.

_"Okay Bella. Good luck." _He sounded nervous.

"Thank you Felix" Reassuringly, I smiled at him, kissed his head and went out the homemade door. In the night's sparse light, I ran through the forest and finally stepped out of the woods. I walked slowly; I was not used to human speed, towards the city to see if anybody needed a nanny or cleaning or anything I could earn money by. I found none.

The city was large, slightly dirty and it smelled funny. But else, it was a beautiful sight. Dublin stretched before me, like a rising hope of a bright future. I smiled softly to myself as I reached the midst of the city, and I saw myself as a part of this place.

As the sun begun to rise behind a rather thick layer of clouds, everything got a new light, a new color to it. Being able to see everything with perfect clarity, even in the dark, sometimes made sights that would have been amazing to the human eyes, more dull and uninteresting for an immortal. But as Dublin shined from the dim light of the rising sun, I felt warm inside. I felt home, safe, for the first time since that dreadful night of the beginning to eternity. The woods of London never felt like home, and seeing as I could not return to my parent's house, London became more and more alien to me.

But here I was, starting over, just like I always wanted.

A fresh start, with new memories and new adventures. The first chapter was done and over with, and I was ready to begin the next. In Dublin, my new place to call _home._

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**I know it's not the longest I have written yet, but I still hope you like it. Am I too far out with the whole moving-to-Dublin-thing? :D  
**

_**I hope you liked it, even if I'm a bit far out myself, but it's too late for me anyway, sooo... ;)**_

_**Please, tell me what you think! :)**_

_**- Lu **_


	9. Chapter 9

**Yo! :) I won't waste much time with this A/N, 'cause I know most people don't read them anyway... x] Sometimes I wonder if I could write some complete BS in my A/N's about how this gay duck raped another duck, just to see if anybody actually commented on that... (Actually, I heard about a gay duck who raped another duck... x]) Lol.. :P  
**

**DISCLAIMER: A good point: Just because you buy tent, it doesn't mean you sell your house. Just because I write, doesn't mean I'm Stephenie :D**

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_Previously: But here I was, starting over, just like I always wanted. _

_A fresh start with new memories and new adventures. The first chapter was done and over with, and I was ready to begin the next. In Dublin, my new place to call __home._

Song: Pixie Lott - Mama Do

Bella POV

Felix and I had it great in our new cottage. It was magical; home, safe, _me_. I loved it with every ounce of my being, and Felix seemed to enjoy it as well. I succeeded in finding a job at last; I worked as a servant for a rich family, a little further east than centrum of Dublin. I did not live there; I went there in the morning before the sun rose, and left after dawn. I needed to be there every day and I couldn't let the sun interfere. Therefore, I needed to be going when it was safe. During sunny days, I stayed inside and cleaned and tided the already tidy rooms. I was nothing but a mere servant to them, but I got paid higher than most of the other girls they had there. They seemed to like me, even if they were afraid of me. Perhaps that was why they paid me more. I cooked for the family; I remembered all the recipes I had learned as human and made them. I was praised for my hard work. Though it really wasn't hard for me. Something I could do in my sleep. If I slept, that is.

I cooked for Felix; he would most of the time catch his own food and I would prepare it. We were a good team, Felix and I. When Felix slept, I studied. It felt great to be able to live out my Papa's dream for him; I knew he would have appreciated it.

I became better at controlling my thirst whilst near humans; I had never tasted the sweet liquids I was sure jolted around the humans' bodies. The scent was painful, but as soon as you got used to it, it was almost as if it wasn't there. I was pleased with myself for never harming a human.

Every Sunday, I went to church. I felt like I was strengthening my bond with my lost family by doing so. Even though it felt immensely wrong, being damned and still sit in the house of God, it was good for me. I felt cleansed and refreshed every time I stepped out of the church. I felt like I had been forgiven for being damned and still enter the holy place.

I read and re-read the Bible many times, and it was soothing somehow.

When I didn't study, I still had time to kill so I threw myself into the task of being a bookworm of greater means. I read about every single book there were in the library of Dublin.

Slowly, but steadily my fortune became bigger, and I had enough money to buy proper food for Felix.

"Felix! I am home. I have bought you some food. Are you hungry?" I asked as soon as I went through my homemade door. I never got over the warmth that filled me everytime I used to word '_home'_

_"Very much yes. Welcome home Bella, how was your day?" _It was quite funny, how we sounded like a married couple. I giggled quietly to myself and smiled.

"Good. How about yours? Did you catch anything?" I said.

_"No, unfortunately." _He sounded ashamed.

"Do not worry about it, I have brought you food." I assured him.

As I prepared his dinner, Felix came and joined me by the fire. We sat- or I sat, he laid- in a comfortable silence. His thoughts were silent, and I wondered what he wanted.

_"Bella, do you think you are able to turn animals?"_ He asked suddenly, out of the blue.

"I do not know, why?" I was quite startled.

_"I have been thinking. You see, I cannot bear the thought of leaving you alone. When I am no more, then what will you do? I doubt you would be able to find yourself another dog." _He was speaking quietly, even if it was in his mind.

"I have not thought much about it FeeFee; I have simply pushed away the thoughts when they appeared. I do not want to think about it." I stated, looking into the flames.

_"I want to be like you, Bella. But I do not know if it is possible. I say, let us try on a deer and see what happens"_ He said and I could see the logic. It would be immensely stupid to try the theory on him, if I was not able to change him.

"Do you want to test it now?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

_"I would like to eat first." _He smiled his doggy-ish smile and I just rolled my eyes at him. When he had eaten his dinner, we made our way to the forest.

I sniffed and smelled some deer nearby. Maybe 5 miles vest.

"5 miles west, deer." I stated. I took Felix in my arms and ran. In a matter of minutes we were there, and I silently put Felix on his paws again.

"Shh, I will go get one." I whispered in his ear, he nodded and I was off.

I caught a young female and dragged her towards Felix.

"Okay FeeFee, I think I have to bite it. I have never tried it before, so let us see how it will turn out." I said and he nodded expectantly. It did not creep him out one bit that I drank animal blood. I had many times told him that he did not appeal to me in an edible sort of way, and he was pleased.

I bit down in the fearful animal's neck, and I quickly removed my teeth before I sucked it dry. It stirred under me, and then went limp. I looked at the deer with annoyance and sadness; this meant FeeFee would not be with me to the end of eternity.

I looked at his disappointed expression and felt unworthy of his friendship and trust. I had failed him.

_"Do not worry Bella; I did not expect it to change. Why don't you drink it?" _He smiled reassuringly, but he was still a little disappointed. He had been hoping it would succeed, and that he could be with me always. And I wanted my best friend to be with me too.

I nodded, and drank the deer and we headed home.

The days continued to come and pass, and we stayed in our cottage in the woods of Dublin. I decided I wanted to quit my job at the Pition's - the family I worked for- and stay with Felix and continue my studies. They were nice people, but I did not want to work there anymore. I told them that I had a sick aunt in London, and that I needed to go and take care of her. They bought it, and I felt bad when I left their mansion, for lying to them. On my way back, I stepped by the church to be forgiven.

"Forgive me God, for sinning. It was wrong of me to lie, but in order to keep what I am a secret, I will have to. I sincerely hope you can understand and forgive me, forgive me for being what I am, forgive me for what I have to do." I mumbled quietly to myself.

I made the cross over my chest, and went to leave.

"Hold on there." I heard the voice of a human male. I turned around and smiled politely at him, as I was filled with his past, power and plans. This human had no power, meaning that if he was to be changed, he would be a powerless immortal, just like what was common among Vampires. From what I learned of Theo, it is rare to see a Vampire with a gift.

"Did you want anything Sir?" I asked him, only politely interested.

He was a short, rather fat man with mustache and black hair. He was 36 years old, and his intensions were to, kiss me? What an odd man.

"Hello Miss. What is your name, beautiful?" He asked. I could have rolled my eyes; it happened more and more often.

"My name is Isabella Sir, and if you do not mind, I have to get going; my Mother is expecting me." I said coldly; he didn't seem to notice.

"I am sure she would be delighted to know that you have met a man, Isabella. My name is-" Randalf, yes I know. "Randalf Jones." I rolled my eyes quicker than he could notice.

"I must say you have beautiful eyes." He continued on, not noticing me becoming more and more irritated and impatient.

"Thank you kind Sir. But I really have to go now; it was a pleasure to meet you Mr. Jones." Annoying man.

"But Isabella, why do you not come with me?" He babbled on, as I saw his plans change. I needed to get away before he could _try_ and fulfill the plan; I did _not_ want to hurt him.

"No thank you Sir." And with that, I turned around and walked at a fast human pace towards the road. He tried to follow, but then I reached a corner, and saw that nobody was there, and I ran for it. I knew it was very impolite and wrong of me to tell him off in such a way, but I couldn't help it.

"Stupid, annoying, dumb-headed, idiot!" I cursed when I entered through the door.

_"Bella?"_ His voice cracked, even in his mind. I was instantly worried, and forgot my encounter with Mr. Jones in the city.

"FeeFee, what is wrong?" I had become attached to that nickname and he did not seem to mind. I was instantly by his side, and I saw that he laid on the bed, gasping for air.

I touched his nose, and it was as hot and dry, as if he had been lying in front of the fire all day.

"Felix! What is wrong with you?" I was horrified; no, he could not be sick, I could not bear to lose him.

_"I think I am sick. I feel terrible." _He croaked. I was mortified.

"Do not worry; I will take care of you." I got some water, and was back a second later.

"Here, drink some water." He slobbered it up and I sat there, stroking his soft fur.

"FeeFee, you cannot leave me. Please, stay with me." I sobbed tearlessly, and for the first time I discovered that I could not cry. I had not felt the need to cry before, but now, when I was about to lose the last family I had, I let it all out. My loss of my Papa, Mother, Grandparents, how I was raped, became pregnant, was beaten, lived on the streets, everything I had lived through came out now, as I cried the tearless cry and stroked Felix's fur.

_"I do not plan on it sweet Bella. I love you, you are my best friend. I do not know what I would have done without you that were mainly the reason why I followed you after your change." _He whispered in his thoughts. I smiled through the unshed tears and hugged him.

"I love you too FeeFee, I love you too." I whispered.

I sat with Felix for days, only leaving his side to get him food and water. He whimpered and shivered in pain and I became more and more unhappy. I did not want him to die; he did not deserve to die. But this disease he had caught- it was a bad one. He got worse and worse on hourly basis.

_"Bella, I think it is becoming too late. Try Bella. Try to change me, it is the only shot we have; I do not want to leave your side."_ He said after 4 days of hell.

I hesitated. I did not want to be the reason why he died, but I could see his point. It was the only way to try and cure him. And Felix was special; he did not smell food-like and he could communicate with me. He was not like any other dog in the world. He was one of a kind, and I was confident that it might succeed. So I tried.

"I am so sorry FeeFee, this will hurt. I am so, so sorry." I whispered before I bit him. He howled in pain, and then he laid still. I covered my head in my hands, and cried tearlessly. He was dead, I was alone. Alone again, lost.

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**Don't hate me! :D  
And please leave me a comment! :P**

**- Lu **


	10. Chapter 10

**You all deserve a medal for coming back to me after this long. I am truly sorry. But thank you, for coming back and reading this story: thanks to all readers, reviewers, all those that has added this story to their favorites and alerts. :) You're amazing!**

**Disclaimer: I stand by all my other disclaimers: I am not making a profit of this - it's all for the fun of it :)**

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Song - Leona Lewis - Yesterday

_Previously:  
"I am so sorry FeeFee, this will hurt. I am so, so sorry." I whispered before I bit him. He howled in pain, and then he laid still. I covered my head in my hands, and cried tearlessly. He was dead, I was alone. Alone again, lost._

But then the most fantastic thing happened.

Felix started whimpering, and his heart-rate sped up.

He was changing.

He would become the only immortal dog in the world.

And he would be with me.

I stayed with Felix. Never did I leave his side; without the human needs I could stay by him until he woke up. It would be the greatest gift to me that Felix survived, and could be with me forever. As he burned and whimpered, I remembered all the details about him. Deep, deep inside I had known all along that I would be able to change him. For one; he stayed with me during my transformation, he followed me when I woke up, trusted me again, and we could communicate with each other, and understand one another. And lastly, and probably the most reliable reason; his scent didn't appeal to me. He smelt vampire-ish. He smelt good, just not in a food way. And now I had gotten the answer; it really _was _possible to change an animal. But Felix was one of a kind, and I don't think we could ever find a dog such as him. He would be alone for all I knew, in this world. I doubted he could ever find a mate, but then again: who said I could? With my past? Who would want to marry that?

I felt a pang of sadness when I realized that I would never find a mate, I would never get married. I would never feel love. The only love I would experience was the love of my best friend; the vampire-dog, Felix. I would never be loved, and love in return.

I would never experience the happiness of having a child I_ wanted. _I would never see the happy faces of my family when I married; they were long gone and I had no such luck in the world. Why would I be _this_ if I had? Why would I be a vampire? Why would I have experienced what I had? Because I was not lucky. I wasn't lucky one bit. The only luck I had was to have Felix. And that was the best of luck I would ever get. And I was grateful for it. If this is what I get for the crappy life I have lived; then I'm forever grateful and happy. I wouldn't change it for the world.

I felt my eyes go pricky, the way I knew they did when I wanted to cry. The way it felt when my forever dry eyes wanted to shed tears.

A storm was over Dublin; a lightening cracked the evening sky and with my sensitive ears, I could almost hear the sky open up. I clung to Felix like my existence depended on it; I wasn't afraid, I just did not want to be alone.

CPOV

How I missed my Isabella. So very much. My little Choco.

I grew tired of Great Britain; I wanted to see the world and deep down inside of me, it pained me to be there. So I swam to France, to ease the pain in my dead heart. I only found out it became worse; it was as if parts of my stone-heart was ripped out of my chest and stomped on. I realized it was loss; I had lost the last part of my Isabella. The only part I had left now was the cloths of hers I had with me all the time. It didn't smell like her that much anymore, but my super-sensitive nose caught the hints of her strawberry-freesia smell. As I swam over the sea, I made sure only to swim in the nighttime. I was lucky; it didn't take more than an hour or two, thanks to my incredible speed and the fact that I didn't need oxygen. I had been immortal about 60 years or so when I swam to France.  
I made sure that Isabella's cloth didn't get wet; I wanted to keep the last hint of her smell and have it sooth me whenever I needed. It was fading; you probably wouldn't have smelled it as human. Even to a vampire the smell was faint.

I rented a place in France; I didn't plan on staying long. By the time I had lived in France for a few years, I was almost certain that I had been through almost every single book to find in the bookstores of Paris. It was a miracle, really, that they even had bookstores. No people could read for crying out loud! And every single book was on Latin, but it really was no problem. My Father was the reverent after all, and needed to be able to read, to tell the holy words from God to his people. And I would have been the next, so he taught me how to read.

My knowledge was enough to outshine even the smartest person living at the time. I had seen more, experienced what they could only think themselves to, I had been there.

When I was in France I crossed paths with a Vampire called Aro. He was a cheerful Vampire with a passion for powers. He told me he had the power of mind reading; with a touch of his hand he knew your every thought. I was fascinated and I followed him to Italy where he, his brothers and guard had their castle. I learned that they were over 2700 years old and that they had set the basic rules for the Vampire world. I hadn't and couldn't really break the main rule: keep the secret. Humans had grown out of their belief in Vampires and the supernatural world, slowly but definitely.

Since I drank animal blood, it would be difficult to expose myself without lacking the self-control of my body I had gained. I wondered how it would be to create a companion, but didn't do anything about my musings.

I stayed with Aro a decade or two and learned a lot over the years. I saw how he handled rebellious Vampires, but I didn't really like it. I knew they deserved their punishment but I was against violence.

I often wondered how Isabella had dealt with her life; had she become what she wanted? Was she disappointed with me? Did she have a good life? Did I have any grandchildren? I knew that she and Sophie must be long gone. But the thought pained me, and I preferred to think about what had happened in their lives. I missed my Sophie so very much, but I thought I missed Isabella more. I grew up with Sophie, but I never got to see my little Isabella grow up. How terrible I am to choose between my two girls. But I loved them both equally; I just missed Isabella so much. My little Choco.

"Carlisle, dear friend, how are you this fine morning?" Aro asked, cheerful as ever.

It was the 13th September today. I was sad, depressed even. My little Choco.

I looked at the forever cheerful Aro with sadness in my eyes.

"Not good, I am afraid. Today would have been my daughter's birthday. If she was still alive, she would be 90 years old. Of course, I do not know if she is still alive, but I doubt it. Oh Isabella." I hid my head in my hands.

It was the year 1766 when I decided that sometime soon, I would be leaving Volterra and start my own life somewhere.

Aro stood there for some time. I do not believe he knew what I was talking about; he never had a daughter. If he did, he could not remember her.

"I am sorry to hear that Carlisle. I am truly sorry." And then he left the room. Perhaps it was because of my depression. But this day was always harsh on me.

I always mourned over my loss on this day, remembered the good times with her, remembering, though it was difficult. I remembered her big brown eyes and longish hair. It was longer than a normal baby, but it didn't matter; she was special. One of a kind. Beautiful. I remembered her observing, serious eyes for her age; I remembered her dimpled smile, her toothless grin. I remembered her beautiful laughter when she was delighted; I remembered the heartbreaking sound of her cry. I could almost feel the softness of her mahogany hair; see the brightness of her face when she smiled. I smiled softly as I remembered all of the short two weeks I had with her. I hoped she forgave me when she grew up. I hoped she had a good life. I hoped Sophie taught her everything she knew, everything she stood for. I hoped she told Isabella about me. I hoped I lived in her heart all her life.

I gave in; I gave in to the tears that day. I sobbed tearlessly, all day. The day was sunny, beautiful. I remembered my human days, and wished they hadn't ended the way they did. That I had grown old, watched Isabella grow, watched her beam over her first child, watched her raise my grandchildren. I didn't see Aro the whole day, the same for every other guard in Volterra. They understood I needed a day alone to mourn, to cry. To hope, and to smile over my human memories. To just be myself, and not be bothered by the Volturi's harsh ways. I liked it there, but it was time to move on. It was time to seek the luck, seek the happiness. Time to explore the world.

So I did. A few years later, I said my goodbyes with Aro, Caius and Marcus.

Aro was sad that I left, that I didn't choose to stay. But I knew it wasn't my destiny to be with the Volturi. I had to move on and live this dreaded life as well as possible.

I was on a new adventure. I was headed to America.

Life in America was great. People had come from all over the world, and learned to mingle with each other, understand each other's language. The language spoken was mostly English though. I got a job at a hospital - nightshifts - in Mississippi, and I was amused by the humans living there. They found my accent funny; they had looked at me like I was an alien when I first got there. They obviously hadn't listened to themselves. But other than my accent, they also found my formal tone amusing. I was raised in the mid 1600's it was really no wonder. But of course, I couldn't tell them I was born in 1640ies now could I? No, definitely not. People was scared of me enough already. I was glad that the Vampire-hauntings had passed a long time ago; it would have been dreadful to hide away from the world and not see what I experienced.

It was a magnificent sight to see the world evolve and mature. But as time flew by and year after year passed, I became lonelier than I ever thought I would. I missed companionship, I missed a friend. I missed someone to speak with, someone whom might understand. The nomads I here and there spoke with moved on; they didn't like to stay in the same area too long. I didn't like their way of life, but I was happy with their presence.

Over the years, I moved every 5 year or so. My fortune was already over the norm of a human family, but I still chose to live in small apartments. Big places would remind me of my loneliness, so I kept to the small. If I ever, by accident, was seen in the sunlight, I was immediately on the road. It didn't happen much; I think it was only 2-3 times it happened. And it was only a second or so they would see the sparkling sight that was my skin.

I had been in almost every city that made USA. I was living in Chicago when the Spanish Influenza came. And what a dreadful experience that was. All the people dying; I could have prevented it. If only the humans knew about me, they would know I didn't need sleep; I could work at my vampire speed, I could save lives on minutely basis. But no, the rules of vampires wouldn't allow me that. I was sulking around my apartment when I walked home for the day; I worked nightshifts. Sometimes, I stayed an extra hour or two, but the nurses didn't really notice; there were so many sick, so little time and we weren't enough doctors.

My favorite patient though, was always Elizabeth. She was a fragile human, but she fought against the illness as an ox. She was strong, confident in me. I became attached to her; she was like Sophie in many ways. Never did I fall in love with the woman; actually, I didn't fall in love with anyone for centuries. But Elizabeth reminded me of Sophie; she was strong, intelligent, caring and not afraid of anything. Her only fear was to lose her son to the disease; Edward. Edward was ill as well, and I felt sympathy for him. He was handsome and strong as his mother. He was the kind of boy I would have wanted to see my Isabella with. When he was awake he was polite and listened to what I told him. He was intelligent and even though he was sick and had lost a father, he made jokes. He was funny, but the disease quickly caught up with him, and he was dying before my eyes. Elizabeth was in an even worse state, and there was no hope for her. Her heartbeat got slower and fainter by the hour and her fever was lethal for a human. But she held on for life, until she spoke with me for the last time.

She loved her son dearly, and she didn't want him to die. I think she figured out what I was, but she wasn't afraid of me. No, not afraid at all.

I remembered clearly what she had said, the minutes before her death; her temperature was sky-high, but she looked me deep in the eyes despite that. Her eyes swam and were slightly unfocused, but she held my gaze. She took my hand and said to me; "_You must do everything in your power. What others cannot do, that is what you must do for my Edward."_ And then, she looked me sternly in the eyes, and hers fluttered close. Her heartbeat went silent. It pained me that she had to die, but I also wondered if she really wanted her son to become like me. I figured she didn't want her son to die; he was 17 and had barely begun his life. I had long mused about how it would be like to create a new friend, and Elizabeth, she had just practically begged me to safe Edward's life. And she didn't look peaceful as all the other dead humans did. It was like she was frowning, urging me to bite her son. Urging me to save him from his death.

So I took it upon me to fulfill Elizabeth Mason's death wish; I saved her son.

I wasn't sure how to do it, but I thought back to my own creation; I had been bitten and then left alone to burn in three days.

Edward was so close to his death, I had to hurry if his heart was to perform the change. Unsure of myself, I gave it a try.

"I am sorry Edward, but it is the only way." I whispered in his ear before sinking my teeth through his skin and bit him, let the venom change his body into one, which couldn't as easily die.

I had driven both him and his mother to the morgue, from where I stole Edward's body with me home. I still didn't see the need of a car, even though I had money enough to buy one. It was one of those new inventions, a really strange one if you asked me. It was amusing to see the large wagons drive around on four wheels, only on the force of fuel. It didn't drive that fast though; it was nowhere close to reach my speed.

As I came to work the night after that, I checked the morgue. Elizabeth was still there, and strangely enough, she looked peaceful now. I felt a strange wind around me; it was as if she thanked me, but after a second, it was gone. I smiled to myself, and walked into the hospital to work my shift.

Edward woke up three days later as predicted. He was as beautiful as every vampire, and he was polite and sweet as he had been in the hospital.

But he was so very confused. Mainly because of all the new impressions he got, but he kept telling me not to scream at him; even though I had not said a single word.

I was astonished when I found out that must be because he had a gift. He could read my mind.

"Son, you have to come with me now, I will explain everything later. Your throat must be aching, follow me. I promise you, I pose no threat to you. I want to help you." I told him, and he eagerly followed me. We went on our first hunting trip together, but he did not seem satisfied with the animal blood as I.

"Edward, I know this must be very confusing. You know what you have become do you not?" I asked him. He raised an eyebrow and nodded.

"It seems that you can read my mind. To test that theory, I'll think of a number..." I thought of Choco's birthday 1391676

"1391676. And something about Choco...?" I stared at him.

"It seems like you have a gift Son." I smiled at him, and he smiled carefully back.

"My name is Carlisle. I would prefer if you called me that, and not 'Dr. Cullen'... I have been a vampire ever since the 1676 I think. I only remember the year 1676 because my daughter was born in that year. And I'm sure of it. 13th September 1676, the happiest day of my life." I smiled sadly and remembered my change and how I was torn away from my lovely daughter.

"I am sorry Carlisle." Edward said softly, probably seeing everything I did.

"Thank you." I replied.

We ran back to the house I was living in, and sat down.

"As you know, you're a vampire. But there are certain things you need to know." He nodded.

"Vampires are incredibly fast, have perfect senses, impossible strength and we do not sleep. We don't eat human food, we don't drink water; we don't age. We live off of animal blood - well I do, and a coven up north in Alaska- normal vampires drink human blood. I have never tasted human blood-" I cut myself off, and re-lived my first year as a vampire, for him to understand. When he nodded his understanding, I continued.

"In Volterra, Italy lives an old coven. Or more a guard; the Volturi, they are called. Aro, Caius and Marcus are brothers and the masters in the guard. Aro is a mind reader - like you, though he needs physically contact, and then he can read every thought you have ever had - Marcus can read the bonds between people, and Caius does not have a gift. The guard is only Vampires with gifts; only one is there without a gift, but he has incredible strength, much stronger than normal vampires." I took a breath and continued.

"Aro treasures power; he's a collector. Caius is rather blood-thirsty and Marcus always seemed bored. They have been vampires for over 2900 years, and they are the most powerful coven out there. They are the police if you will, to the vampire world. There is only one main rule; keep the secret. You can't walk out in the sunlight, you can't hunt where others can see you, and you must not create immortal children. Never do such a thing; the children are beautiful but cannot be controlled. They are stuck forever in their development and they can't learn how to control themselves, like they can't learn how to read and talk and write. It's impossible for them, and therefore they cannot exist." I smiled at him calmly and he returned it.

"What happens when we go out in sunlight?" He asked.

"We sparkle." It was the truth. He started laughing at that, why, was beyond me.

"We sparkle?" I frowned

"Yes, we sparkle." I said, and showed him a memory of my sparkling skin.

"Oh. We do sparkle." He said, and I grinned slightly at him.

And that was how I got my first companion to this everlasting life.

Edward and I became really good friends, he was like the son I never had. But he could never replace the space Choco held in my heart. But I wasn't lonely anymore, I was happier than I had been for 200 years.

Edward and I travelled from Chicago to Alaska where I wanted the Denali sisters to meet Edward. I must say Tanya seemed to like him a lot. Maybe too much. Edward was polite, but rejected her. It made sense, that he was not ready for commitment so soon after his change. Kate and Irina seemed to like him too. Maybe it was his quiet kindness and gentleman manners or his looks. He was quite handsome, even for a vampire.

One year, I even took him to the Volturi for them to meet him. Aro was perhaps a bit _too_ interested in Edward's gift. We didn't stay long.

I remembered the day I came home with Esme. Edward was horrified for the poor woman's choice. We got her story when she woke up; she jumped off a cliff because she lost her little son. I bonded with her on a whole new level; she was beautiful, sweet, caring, intelligent - everything I could have ever looked for in a woman. She was understanding, and sorry for the loss of my child. I missed Isabella every single day of the forever I lived, but first Edward and now Esme helped a lot, and I was no longer lonely. I had a family now. Esme was everything to me, and Edward was like our son. We were a happy little family, and Esme found out she was especially good at decorating and designing houses. We moved around as always, sometimes Edward and Esme worked too, but it was mainly me that earned the money.

After about 10 years while Esme had been with us, Edward grew tired of never being fully satisfied by the animal blood. He grew tired of being alone in eternity, tired of almost everything. He left Esme and me.

"Edward, honey, please don't leave me. My son, please" Esme sobbed. She was hugging him tightly, trying to force him to stay.

"Esme. Please, I need a few years on my own. You'll see me again at some point, I'm sure of it." He answered her lowly. They were really close too, just like Edward and I, and Esme and I. He thought of her as a mother in some way, I think.

Esme sobbed and looked brokenheartedly at him.

"Please son. Don't forget me. Come back to us, soon." She whispered. It was hard on her to let him go; she had already lost one son, it must be so difficult.

"Edward, son, good luck. You must come back and at least visit though." He nodded, and shook my hand. I pulled him into a hug, and clapped his back. Then he left, and we didn't see or hear from him for a long time.

"He is really gone." Esme sobbed. I hugged her tight and kissed her forehead.

"He'll come back, you'll see, he'll come back." I said to her. She nodded into my chest and whispered that she hoped so.

The years passed and Edward didn't come back. We had to move, but Esme wasn't too fond of that idea. She still believed Edward would come back. She was very sad the first year we lived alone in the new house. But as time passed, she became happier and happier, but you could still see a ghost of sadness in her eyes. She missed a family, but she hid it well. I knew exactly how she felt; I had had a family and had been without it for 200 years. But now, she was my family. She healed me. I was not wounded anymore, but the feeling was still there.

When we had lived for 2 years at the new place in New York, we finally heard from Edward. One day, I was home from the hospital and Esme flittered around as always, when there was a knock on the door.

It was raining and far out in the horizon, you could hear thunder; if you were a vampire that is.

Outside in the rain, stood Edward, dripping wet and with amber eyes. Clearly, you could see he had been feeding of off humans, but tried to adapt to the animal lifestyle again.

A smile spread across my face at the sight of my son.

"Welcome home son, welcome home." at those words, Esme ran at full speed to the door, and trapped Edward in a bone crushing hug. He smiled sadly.

"Hi Esme. Hello Carlisle." he whispered; the emotion evident in his eyes.

"Edward! You must be, be..." she couldn't find the right word. I smiled at the thought.

"Tired of being a monster? Sick of making you miserable? Both Esme, both. And more to." He said lowly. Esme looked like she could cry; if she had been able to that is. She shook with sobs of happiness, and practically dragged Edward inside; commanded him to take a shower and get some fresh clothes. She had brought everything of Edward's with us; "what if he comes? You never know, Carlisle, you never know." And she was right, he did come back.

I could tell Edward felt bad. He had a twinge of sadness permanently set in his eyes. I wish I could remove it; he came back, he had nothing to be sorry for. I understood why he left; many times had I had to struggle to not just give in and live like a nomad for the rest of eternity. But I had had Isabella as a reminder to stay good; Edward had no one. He felt bad for taking lives, but as I understood, he had only been drinking the criminals; the one hurting and planning to hurt other humans.

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**There we go, a little insight in Carlisle's life.. A little time-skip, and we'll be going back once it's Bella's POV again, but I hope it won't confuse too much :) **

**Love,**

**Lu**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hello! Once, again, I cannot believe I've been such a lousy updater :( I just finished my other story 'Lost & Found' though, but even that took really long, because - and here comes the cliché, even though it's true - school has simply been a bitch! -.- **

**I hope that, even if this chapter is short, you'll bear with me, 'cause I'm posting one or two more chapters today ;) **

**DISCLAIMER: What do _you_ think?**

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_Previously:  
I could tell Edward felt bad. He had a twinge of sadness permanently set in his eyes. I wish I could remove it; he came back, he had nothing to be sorry for. I understood why he left; many times had I had to struggle to not just give in and live like a nomad for the rest of eternity. But I had had Isabella as a reminder to stay good; Edward had no one. He felt bad for taking lives, but as I understood, he had only been drinking the criminals; the one hurting and planning to hurt other humans._

Chapter 11

CPOV

We were living in Rochesterand taking a walk around the city a late night after a hunt. Edward was fully back into drinking animals, he even had a few jobs here and there. This time, Esme had taken a job as interior designer, and she was doing really well. I still worked at the hospital; I never grew tired of it. The scientists invented new methods and new medicine all the time, the job was always changing. I _could_ never grow tired of it.

As we were walking towards our home; we had been living there for 3 years, we heard a scream in the distance. We frowned at each other and sped up; we couldn't run, because we were walking in the middle of the city and risked exposure if we walked any faster. I looked at Edward as we neared the place the scream came from. He frowned, and I could see the struggle within him; he was fighting to not kill somebody.

I realized somebody was hurting, and we sped up even more. Few people were out walking and looked at us as if we were aliens.

"Oh no! We'll have to move again, before they get too suspicious." I heard Esme mutter. I agreed, and Edward nodded.

When we finally got to where the scream came from, a young lady, probably 18, lay on the sidewalk, in an alley well lightened, gasping for air that came in shallow breaths. She was near death, and I couldn't just let her lay there, dying. She was covered with blood and her face was beaten to an unrecognizable mask. Her left side was swollen and she had a black eye, her lip was bleeding, one perfectly plucked eyebrow cut in half. She had a broken leg, a sprained wrist and several broken rips. One rip had punctured her lung. She had been raped by several men by the smell of it, and she wouldn't be able to survive, did I do nothing. Esme was sobbing beside me, looking at the poor girl that lay there. I wanted to save her life, and maybe, she could even be Edward's mate. I looked at him, but he didn't seem to have noticed my thoughts.

She had golden hair that waved to her waist, blue eyes and a slender body. Her eyes were unfocused and swimming, but they had a piercing blue color that made them seem like the ocean. For a human, she was incredibly beautiful. I gathered her in my arms and without caring who saw, we ran to our house. I murmured soothing words to the lifeless body in my arms. Her breathing became shallower by the minute; she didn't have long again. I laid her on the couch and whispered in her ear, that I was sorry and it was going to hurt, but she would be fine afterwards. I bit her. She writhed and whatnot in her burning state, and only once or twice did she let out a piercing scream but otherwise she was quiet, only breathing in heavy gasps.

Esme was packing down everything, and Edward helped her. I cleaned the body of the girl and changed her clothes. When she was clean, I realized who she was; Rosalie Hale, the daughter of one of the richest men in town. At this thought Edward became, well, I don't exactly know how to describe it; he wasn't very happy with it.

Edward told me that, while she was burning, she was thinking of her last hours. She had been visiting a friend and had been jealous of her little baby and the utter love she shared with her husband. And then she had been raped by her fiancé and his drunken friends. Poor girl.

Edward and Rosalie's relationship was not what I had hoped it would be. Edward wasn't interested in Rosalie in a romantic kind of way, and Rosalie - who wasn't interested in Edward either - was hurt because Edward wasn't interested in her. She was used to every single male falling at her feet, but Edward, he was different and wasn't like any human male. But they learned to like each other, and so I was happy.

We moved from Rochesterto Appalachiawhere we lived for a little while. Rosalie got her revenge over her fiancé and his friends. I chose to oversee it; the girl had been gang-raped and left to die on the sidewalk by her _fiancé_ and she was damned to live a life in eternity without what she wanted the most; a child.

I told her my story; how I had lost my child when she was merely 2 weeks old because I was changed. I told her how I had no idea if she survived or not, what happened to her and so on. I loved her like a daughter as I loved Edward as a son, but my heart still belonged to Esme and Isabella.

Rosalie didn't have a power, but she learned to deal with Edward another way. She annoyed him by thinking about herself and her hair, and Edward stopped listening to her.

Then Emmett came and provided Rosalie with a safe relationship where she didn't need to worry. First of all, because she could take care of herself, second of all; Emmett was like a teddy bear underneath his enormous muscle mass. The boy was humongous.

He was a prankster, and no matter how long I lived in America and tried to blend in, and not speak the old dialect of English from my hometown, he would sometimes make me so annoyed that the old accent would come out. Once he detected it, he wouldn't leave me alone about it. He found it hilarious.

"Carlisle." Emmett whined. I raised an eyebrow at him. Rosalie had gone shopping and Edward was out hunting with Esme. I was with Emmett at home (he didn't feel like shopping, apparently), and I was reading a book.

"I'm bored" He said. He just stood there, in the middle of the living room staring at nothing in particular. I laughed; sometimes you wouldn't think he was smarter than most humans.

"What about reading a book?" He looked horrified.

"R-reading? A b-book?" I shrugged.

"Yes. A book" just to amuse him, I gave up my perfect pretend-accent and spoke with my original one. He grinned. I should have never done that.

Emmett found something to do; he cracked jokes and made fun of me until Esme and Edward came home, and he started annoying Edward. It ended with a wrestling match in the back yard. Emmett lost of course; not because he was the weakest, no, Edward "cheated" with his mind-reading. Emmett didn't have a gift either.

There was a knock at the door. We were currently living in Dallas; Edward, Rosalie and Emmett went to High School and Esme and I worked. It was weekend, and we were all just passing time in the living room. So, when somebody knocked on the door, we were all surprised. I don't think Edward had been listening, but he concentrated hard now.

_'Vampire?'_ I thought to him. No human would ever have the guts to come here; they were afraid of us.

"Two" He said. I frowned but put on a friendly face as I walked to the door and opened it. Outside, was a scarred vampire male; he was tall, muscular and had blond hair. His eyes were a reddish-golden; clearly he was trying hard to stick to the vegetarian lifestyle. Beside him, stood a small 4'7'' female vampire. She had black hair and petite face. She had golden eyes, which surprised me. I didn't think there were anybody other than me and my family, and the Denali vampires that survived of off animals.

"Hi!" the small female squealed. I couldn't help but grin at her bubbly attitude.

"Hello. My name is Carlisle Cullen. What can I help you with?" I said in a polite tone.

"My name's Alice and this is Jasper. We were wondering when we could move in?" She smiled knowingly up at me as I stood there shocked.

"Uhm, come in?" she had taken me aback with her announcement.

"Thanks" She dragged Jasper by the hand inside and plopped down on the sofa.

Everybody looked shocked at her.

"I'm sorry Ma'am, for intruding like this." Jasper said to Esme. He was from the South- you could hear it on his accent.

"It is alright young man. I am just a little shocked, I think" Rosalie was on guard; she had a hard time letting people in.

"I'm sorry Carlisle, but I have _seen_ you would say yes." I just stared at her.

"I can foresee the future" She answered my unspoken thoughts.

"Really? That is amazing; you must tell me everything about it." I said, intrigued, and sat down opposite of her. She told me how she knew nothing of her human life, how she was changed and how she met Jasper. They were mates, and had been for the past many years. Jasper told us his own story; how he was changed during the Civil War and had been sort of a commander in a new-born army. He had the gift of manipulating and reading the emotions of both humans and vampires.

Even Rosalie loosened up and let Alice in; they became great friends. Jasper and Emmett were great at the pranks; they became the pranksters of the family. Under the quiet, polite and understanding facade, Jasper was funny and understood to have fun. He and Edward even ganged up on Emmett sometimes.

Alice was an interesting creature; she just woke up and was a vampire, beside the burning pile of her creator.

She'd been moving around alone until she met Jasper; she had seen him in a vision, and found him, knowing he was her other half. All we missed now was another female; Edward was alone, and he was miserable. I wandered around in constant fear that he would leave again. I really didn't hope he would.

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**So, Alice and Jasper, huh? :) **


	12. Chapter 12

**And we're back to Bella! There's quite the time skip from Carlisle to Bella, and we're back in time once again :D **

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_Previously:_

_A storm was over Dublin; a lightening cracked the evening sky and with my sensitive ears, I could almost hear the sky open up. I clung to Felix like my existence depended on it; I wasn't afraid, I just did not want to be alone._

Chapter 12

BPOV

Felix' change was strange. First of all, it lasted a week. Not an hour, not a minute; not even _a second_ longer than a week. When one week _exactly_ had passed, his heart stuttered twice and went silent. I still clung to him; the storm had passed long ago, but he soothed me.

I now held the only vampire-dog in existence in my arms. He made a friendly grumping-ish sound in his throat, as if he was happy that I stroked his fur. Almost as a cat purring. I think I made a wise choice when I decided to stay with him during his change. I sat up, still with my hand stroking his fur. Slowly, as he lay there on his side, he opened his eyes. My own eyes widened in wonder; I was experiencing the very first - for all I knew - awakening to the immortal life of a dog. His eyes were bright red and his nose was whiter than snow. His fur was tougher, yet it was as smooth as silk. He was still soft, but his body was now rock hard as mine was. I don't doubt his tail could easily break through a rock if he tried. He smelled like forest and spring. Like the smell just after it has rained in a blossoming forest.

I smiled at him and said: "Oh FeeFee. I am so happy you are alive!" I didn't move; I didn't want to startle him and have him attack me.

_"Bella! Wow, this is strange. I can't wait to run!" _He was all excited and I couldn't help but laugh with relief. I fell towards him and hugged him tight. He barked a happy laugh and licked my face.

"Eww. Dog-venom." I grinned at him. Then I frowned. Did he still eat or was he drinking now, too?

"Do you want to go hunting? I am curious to see if you eat or drink." I said.

_"Yes. I would very much like to go hunting. My throat feels, I do not know, dry." _I became suspicious that he would have to drink when he thought that.

"Then, let us go!" I exclaimed and walked towards the front door. When we were outside, Felix started to run around like a paralyzed man experiencing the feeling of legs for the first time. It was a sight to behold. He was a blur, even to me. I wondered if Felix had a gift, could he even have a gift?

"Felix." I yelled out. As suddenly as he began running, he stopped. He cocked his head to the side and looked at me.

"I just need to see if I can detect a gift from you." He smiled a dog-ish smile and ran to me. He was very fast. As if I told him to, he sat down and looked directly into my eyes. He was now smarter than a human would be, but he wasn't as intelligent as me, or any other vampire for that matter. His past flashed before my eyes; but it was only from when he woke up. I frowned at that; maybe I just couldn't see animals' past. When I thought it over, I had never seen the past of my prey. I shrugged. I closed my eyes to feel after if he had any gift. I felt nothing. So I assumed he had no gift. His plans were to just be with me. I smiled at that.

"I am sorry Felix. First of all, I could not read your past before you were changed. And I could not feel a gift. But I saw your plans. You can stay with me as long as you want to FeeFee." He wrinkled his nose but smiled.

_"Okay. Well, of course I would like to have a gift, but I do not think it is possible. Thank you Bella. It means the world to me."_ I hugged him tight and asked if we should go on and go hunt. He nodded.

"Okay, I have absolutely no idea how your senses work now. But I would think that because you had such excellent smell and hearing before, it would be at least 10 times better now." I said. He sniffed and wrinkled his nose.

_"A deer is dead and is lying 47 miles to the east. She's being eaten by ants."_ I wrinkled my own nose at that. And then I realized his hearing and smell probably was better than mine. I beamed at him.

"FeeFee, your sense of smell and hearing is better than mine!" I said. He barked and ran around. I think we would be able to keep up with each other. I told him to be quiet for a moment; I wanted to see if I was able to hear the ants eat from the dead deer.

I let my senses focus on the east and heard twigs and animals moving around. I heard birds hop around on the trees and ants walking in long lines. But I couldn't hear ants eat from a deer.

"Impressive. I can't hear." And then we laughed.

"Now, we have to hunt, I am thirsty." He looked in my eyes and nodded. I hadn't been hunting for a week, and I was thirsty. Really thirsty.

"5 miles, north" we said at the same time. I smiled at him, and then we took off.

It turned out that he did indeed drink blood. He took down 5 deer and a fox when I just took down 4 deer; but of course I wasn't as thirsty as Felix.

I didn't dare take Felix anywhere near Dublin; what if he couldn't control himself? So we stayed in the woods. We taught each other to fight. I would lung at him, and he would me. It was pretty fun to fight with him, but it was proved later that it paid off. I came across an experienced fighter once, and he had nearly taken me if it wasn't for the fact that I had some dog-ish tricks. He definitely didn't expect me to throw myself down and between his legs and there after attack him from behind. Felix even fought a vampire once. We were hunting when I suddenly heard him growl. His growl was so much scarier than mine; he could growl before he was changed, and now it had only intensified. I ran to him and saw him fighting a vampire. I saw the past of the vampire; human-drinker, nomad, criminal - the worst form for vampire. Apparently, he only drank women; he would lure them to him and then just drink them. Sometimes he even let them fall in love with him, they would have sex and he would drink her when he reached his release. Disgusting pig. His gift was to lure; he could get anybody to him. Like I said, disgusting pig. His plans were to find the vampire he had smelled, me, and then decide what to do. But Felix got him. The vampire was super confused; it was truly a funny sight, something, I wish I could see over and over again.

When we had stayed in the forest for about 5 months, I could see Felix' eyes changing color. I was ecstatic when I found out he would have the same eye-color as me. So when a whole year had passed, and I was sure he was in control, I took him to the forest line. If I could smell the humans, then he certainly could too. I had to restrain him; I was thankful that I, after all, still was stronger than him. As human, I was still stronger, so it made sense somehow.

We stayed there, in the shadows, for hours until he relaxed. We did this every day, and each day we moved closer to the city. Except on the sunny days, then we would go at night. Felix didn't sparkle in the sunlight, but his nose got this strange rosy-red color; he would still be able to walk around in the sunlight, though.

Then the day came when Felix ran into the city. He was running too fast, and I had to go in after him. I found him by the fountain in the middle of the city. He was splashing around and barking. I rolled my eyes; at least he hadn't eaten anybody. I went to him, and picked him up. Despite his struggles, I held him firmly in place and started to walk fast towards the forest. When I was nearly out of the city, the sun broke through. I gasped and started running. I don't think anybody saw the sparkling of my skin, but I couldn't risk it. I ran home, packed everything we had while chastening Felix for what he did.

But I could never be mad a Felix. As we ran from our beloved cottage, we made up.

We fled Dublin and ran towards our next city; this time, it would be Manchester.

In Manchester, I studied even more. I hadn't been studying for some time because of Felix' change but it was not like I couldn't remember anything. Actually, I remembered everything. I didn't just study medicine; I studied Biology, Astronomy, paleontologyand what I could get my hands on. I even studied Mathematics and religion. At my time, they still thought the earth was flat. My Papa and I had had different seeing on it though; my mother told me he thought Earth was round. I thought so too. I knew so. But I would be labeled insane if I voiced my thoughts.

I was tired of having to clean and babysit for other families to earn money. I wanted to be someone, who could make a difference. I wanted to work at a hospital.

I visited the hospital in Manchester. I wanted to speak with the boss, so I walked up to the receptionist.

"Hello. My name is Isabella Cullen. I would like to speak with Mr. Petersen?" I posed it as a question. The woman sitting at the desk gaped at me. I was wearing a simple skirt that went to the floor and a long-sleeved sweater. It wasn't so bad, was it? My hair was down and I had my family-crest on. She still gaped at me. I frowned and looked down; had I blood on my shirt or what?

"Uhm, miss?" I said. She snapped out of it, shaking her head and showed me where to go.

I stood in front of a simple white door that led into an office. I took a deep breath and knocked. Instead of calling 'come in' he opened the door himself. He was tall and seemed like a nice man. His past showed me he had been at the hospital for 20 years. I smiled kindly at him. He was looking at me, not obviously gaping like the receptionist, but he still looked. I became uncomfortable and asked if I could come in. I knew it was rude to say something without being spoken to, but he didn't even seem to notice.

"Ms. Cullen. What can I do for you?" He asked. I smiled, happy that he was normal again.

"I would very much like to ask you something Sir." I said, he nodded and gestured for me to continue.

"I am seeking a job you see. And I wondered if there was a free job at your hospital?" I looked directly in his eyes and made my own bigger. I pulled FeeFee's infamous puppy dog eyes. Mr. Petersen didn't even seem to notice I used unfair tricks. I held my breath and concentrated to see his plans.  
I could have been jumping around in joy! He was going to hire me! He coughed and shook his head.

"Ms. Cullen, I can provide you with a job. Do you have any experience in nursing whatsoever?" he asked. I smiled, maybe a little smugly. I had been taken care of my mother when she was sick; I had learned basic healing methods. I had been taking care of myself as a human; rinsed wounds took care of broken limps and whatnot.

"Yes Sir, actually, I do." I stated. He looked shocked, but pleased.

"Excellent! Can you read?" He asked. He thought he had me.

"Yes Sir, I can. My Father taught me so." It pained me to think of my Father, but I figured it would be better if he had taught me. Besides, he had taught my mother, who had taught me, so in reality, I wasn't lying too much. He looked shocked. I couldn't help but smile and laugh in my head.

"What about write?" I nodded. He looked very pleased.

"Have you worked in a hospital before?" I thought for a second. Should I lie and said I had? No, I shouldn't.

"No Sir." I said. He nodded, but then he smiled.

"Okay, Ms., come with me." I stood up and followed him out. He told me I could start with a little practice. I had to stand beside the doctor who was attending the patient and take notes and write down what the doctor said to me.

I did well, and it paid off. My fortune rose more steadily now, and now that Felix didn't eat anymore, no money was used on food.

Sometimes, I had to clean, other times I had to write reports. On different days, I went with a doctor to homes around Manchester, attending the people who were too sick to go to the hospital. It pained me that I could tell what was wrong with them and had to keep quiet. It would be very suspicious if I could tell what the patient had, and I hadn't even looked. Sometimes it was easier than others; if the patient had a hematoma I could smell it. If it was an internal bleeding, I could also _see _it. I could even see what had caused the accident or what had caused the wound to appear, what with my gift.

Naturally, Mr. Petersen couldn't see any flaw in my work; I never had a single detail wrong, everything the doctor said to me was correct, and so I was promoted to attend the patients on my own, but I had nothing to do with the medications and surgery.

But slowly, I worked my way up. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay in the city for more than 5 years, considering I didn't age. I told Mr. Petersen I was needed because of family issues in another city a long way from Manchester, when I could no longer stay there. I was sad to leave Manchester, but Felix and I had to move on.

From Manchester, we ran to Birmingham, where I got a job as a nurse as well.

I never really lived in apartments and houses; mostly, FeeFee and I lived in the forest. But I liked it that way, we had better opportunities of hunting and there wasn't a great chance of us being discovered.

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**Hope you liked it! :D**


	13. Chapter 13

**Whoop whoop! Next chapter here! :) Thanks to everyone who's put me on favs', alerts; who's reviewed and read! :D And a special thanks to Jeredith, who's simply awesome! This chapter's for you! :)**

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While in Birmingham, I met a vampire called Minnie. It was the year of 1703.

She was out hunting when I met her. She was a human-drinker, but I was becoming accustomed to the "regular" way of vampire-life. It didn't mean I liked it though.

In disgust, I looked as she drank the poor middle-aged man, and let her memories flood my mind. Her name was Minnie, and she had been a vampire for merely 5 years. So, in vampire-years, I was older than her. When she was done, she turned around and snarled at me. I raised an eyebrow at her, as I read her plans. She wasn't going to attack me, just scare me off.

"You might as well just talk to me; I am not going to be scared away," I told her calmly. I had learned from my many years as a vampire that I should not be afraid of other vampires. I had the element of surprise if they decided to attack me. But if I just handled them calmly, they wouldn't attack me, I just had to get them to know so first.

She was curious; you could see it in her blood-red eyes. Probably because I had golden eyes. Or because I didn't crouch down as her as she snarled at me.

Then she narrowed her eyes at me.

"Who are you?" She asked. Her voice was sweet and caring, a voice, that didn't match the eyes at all. She had a round face with plum lips, big eyes, framed with the lashes of a vampire, and her short, soft reddish curls framed her face. She looked about 20. She was medium height, and had a petite form. Her nose was slightly turned upwards.

"Me?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I am Isabella Cullen. And who might you be?" I asked. She frowned at me.

"My name is Minnie. Is it your real last name?" her answer surprised me. Theo hadn't remembered his last name, but was it natural for all vampires?

"Why of course. I have been named Isabella Marie Cullen my entire life." I told her. She looked sad; she couldn't remember her life before becoming a vampire. Maybe I could help her.

She had the gift of discovering the lie. I would not be able to lie for this girl.

"I didn't know my name when I woke up. So I decided I be called Minnie." she whispered.

"I know." I stated. She looked shocked, probably because she could detect no lie from me.

"How?" Her tone was higher than just a second before.

"Come with me, I assure you, I mean no harm. I live in a small cottage in the forest, I was lucky to find one no one lived in." _Just like in Dublin..._ I thought.

She nodded slowly, unsure of she could trust me. I chuckled.

"You can trust me." I smiled at her, and reached out to take her hand. Hesitantly, she took it. We took off, toward the little cottage Felix and I had been so lucky to find.

When we reached it, I could hear Felix wandering around because he was bored.  
"I live with a dog. His name is Felix, but don't worry, he doesn't mean any harm either." She looked at me like I was the strangest vampire she had ever seen. Which might just be true.

_"Bella? Do you have a vampire with you?"_ FeeFee thought.

"Yes. Come with me Minnie." I smiled at her. She looked confused.

I brought her inside the cottage where she sat down. The fire was still on, and she sat as far away from it as she could.

"Don't worry about the fire, it's for Felix." _Even though he doesn't need it now._ She nodded. I sat down in front of the fire, fascinated by the flames.

"So, Minnie, what would you like to know?" She eyed me, and took a deep breath.

"Well why are your eyes golden?" Of course she would like to know that.

"I have never tasted human blood. I live of off animals." I told her calmly. She gasped.

"You can _do _that?" She said. I just nodded, smiling. Then FeeFee came into the room.

"Wait. He is not a normal dog." Minnie said. I looked at her for a moment and then decided just to tell her the truth.

"That is because he is a vampire-dog. He might be the only one in the entire world." She looked at me with wide eyes. Then at Felix. Then at me.

"Is he... Strong?" She whispered. I laughed slightly.

"Yes, he is very strong, he can run faster than us, his smell and hearing is better. His sight is not as good as ours, I think. But then again I have no idea. We are stronger than him, meaning we can hold him back if he decided to run." She looked at me wide-eyed.  
"Do you want to hear something?" I asked. She just nodded, still with eyes that might pop out.

"I can hear his thoughts." She must have known I was telling the truth, she just didn't wish to believe.

_"She doesn't believe..." _Felix stated. I looked at the laying form beside me.

"Of course, would you? I just told her I can hear an _animal_'s thoughts, and that said animal is a vampire-dog. It is a lot to take in. Give her time." I told him. He nodded his dog head understandably.

"So it _is _true. But how did you know that I didn't know my name?" Minnie asked. I looked at her and smiled.

"I can see the past, plans and powers of any vampire. I call it the 3 P's. But the plans are more like immediate intentions. It comes automatically whenever I meet a new vampire." I told her. She smiled.

"Do I have a power?" She asked. I looked shocked.

"I thought you knew?" She frowned.

"Knew what?"

"That you can detect any lie?" She beamed at me.

"So I do have a power!" I nodded and smiled at her enthusiasm.

"Try to tell a lie." I nodded at her request. What to say.

"My mother is a vampire as well." I said with as much conviction I could muster. She frowned.

"I can't feel anything. Are you sure I have that gift." I was shocked.

"I am one hundred percent sure. My gift never tells me a lie." She nodded, but was sad.

"Hey, Minnie, look at me." I said in a soft voice. She looked up and was sad.

"Maybe it does not work on me." I said. Confusion was evident in her eyes.

"Minnie." I looked her straight in her blood-red eyes.

"Do you want to have golden eyes?" I asked. She lit up and nodded eagerly.

"Okay, I know you have been a vampire for about 5 years now. I have been a vampire for 10. I have never tasted human blood, but I work around it, so I feel like I understand why you are so attracted to it. But you need to forget how it tastes. You need to be able to think around it, and not be tempted." She nodded.

"Wait. You _work_ around it? How?" She was quick. I smiled at her.

"I work as a nurse at the hospital." I said. She was even more shocked, but she got the expression of determination on her face.

"Good, then I can work to become just like you. Work at the hospital. My goal will be to become just like you." She said. She was determined; it was so clear on her face. She meant it, she meant she wanted to become just like me. To work as a doctor.

"It is great that you have something to go after. Now, let us just wait a couple of days, and then we can go out hunting. After deer." I said at the look she gave me.

The next couple of days, Minnie got to know Felix, through me, and she and I got close. I tried to look past the black hole that was her past, but I only caught glimpses.

"You lived in Wales and you were 19 when you were changed. I cannot see your name or anything else than that. I am sorry Minnie." I told her. She just shrugged her shoulders.

"It is okay Bella, I didn't expect anything else." I smiled sadly at her. Every day, I would go to work, and Minnie would stay with Felix. Whenever Minnie started to get restless and her eyes would get darker, Felix would drag her out into the forest and take her hunting. That way, she never slipped. It was good I had Felix there, and Felix was happy for the company she provided. Minnie grew to be my best friend at the matter of a few days. I knew everything she knew about herself, and she had gotten the whole story of my life. She thought it was so sad that she even accepted she couldn't remember her own past.

"Rather not remember than have your memories." She had said. Though, just as Theo, she found it good that I had killed James. Minnie stayed with me, and FeeFee and I taught her how to fight. And also, Felix taught her the famous puppy dog eyes he taught me.

With Minnie, I learned that no vampire gift worked on me. I had a theory that it was because of my past. It was a defense of some art; my shield - as I liked to call it - prevented anything from filtrate my mind. And my gift for seeing the past, plans and power was a help for me to defend myself. It protected me from other vampires. With the past-seeing part of my gift, I could see their fighting methods, and how many vampires and whatnot they had killed. With the power-part, I could see what I should be careful with. And because I was able to see what they wanted from me, and did I not like it, I could flee or I could fight. Nobody could touch me. I also worked on another theory as to why I was able to change Felix. Firstly, I never saw him as my prey; I had formed a bond with him. Secondly, he didn't appeal to me. And thirdly, I had never tasted human blood. I drank off of animals; that ought to do something to my venom.

Together, Minnie and I discovered Felix' gift. I hadn't been able to see it because his brain didn't work as others. I could see his past and plans perfectly because it worked as any other mind. But about his powers, that was something else. His mind just didn't work as other animals nor humans or vampires. He was unique. But we discovered that as soon as he became good friends with another vampire, he could project his thoughts into his or hers mind. He bonded with Minnie, and at last he could speak in her mind too. But it wasn't like me; I was his creator, so I could read his mind all the time. Minnie had been so happy when we found out; she said she felt like she was finally _really _a part of our little family.

Minnie hadn't been out of the forest for an entire year, and she had only had animals, so her eyes were golden like mine. When she for the first time saw her new eyes, she could have been crying was she still human. She swore she would never ever go back to having those "vile, blood-red eyes" as she called them herself. But she still needed to perfect her self-control, so I took her into the city every night after the sun set. It went just like with Felix, I would have to hold her back, and Felix - who was with us - pushed her backwards with his nose whenever she tried to run away. And if she succeeded in running away from me, he was quick to run after her, and tackle her to the ground where I would come running, and we would drag her back to the forest where she hunted. It took us another year to perfect her control, and even when she was able to breath and not feel like killing half the city, she still struggled. It must have been harder for her because she had lived off of humans for the first 5 years of her existence. When we were in the woods, I taught her how to read and write. She was a quick learner, and therefore, she soon had read almost all the books I had.

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**Well, here we go! Bella's got herself a vampire-companion, and Felix likes her. Hope you enjoyed it ;) **

**Cheers!**


	14. Chapter 14

**I am really sorry for the wait, but at least it wasn't that long! :) I hope you're still hangning in there - we're progressing!  
Again, I want to thank all those who are with me in this; you guys are simply inspiring. **

**DISCLAIMER: Yeeeah, no. Not mine :) **

* * *

_Previously:  
When we were in the woods, I taught her how to read and write. She was a quick learner, and therefore, she soon had read almost all the books I had. _

When we moved from Birmingham, I had a small fortune we only used when we needed new clothes. I always wore my crest, and my mother's earrings. When Minnie asked if she too could get earrings, I told her that she most likely wouldn't be able to. I said I had gotten them when I was human and had had earrings in my ears during my change. We tried anyway, and I was right, she wasn't able to get them. Her skin was unbreakable.

"Minnie, I was wondering, would you like a job?" I asked her. She raised an eyebrow at me.

"What do you mean Bella? You want me to risk human lives and go with you on the hospital?" she asked. I frowned at her.

"No Minnie, not if you don't want to. I just think it would be smart if you started to earn your own money. Who knows, you might meet somebody and leave me someday." I smiled at her. She rolled her eyes.

"I could try. Sure, why not, let's try. I can always just hold my breath." I nodded and grinned. It would be such a positive thing if she joined me. Firstly, I wouldn't feel so lonely. Secondly, I could be with her all day.

"Good, then come with me. FeeFee, are you going to be all right here?" I asked him. He nodded.

_"Yes Bella, and I think you are right; Minnie should try and go to work." _I smiled at him, and stroked his fur. Minnie kissed his nose and we walked hand in hand towards the city. I could tell Minnie was worrying.

"Don't worry Minnie; you are going to do great. And if the hospital is not something for you, then we will just find you something else to do." I told her. She looked at me with fear in her eyes.

"But what if I am not going to do great? What if I end up killing someone and we have to move?" Her voice was trembling, and her grip was getting tighter around my hand.

"Minnie, everything will be fine. Just remember, if it gets too much, hold your breath and say you got ill. Then go home. And when you experience it, I am sure you will not be able to kill them. There is something about saving a human being that makes you revolted by killing them. They have a life, and you can save it and make sure they live it. Just remember everything you have read, and you will do perfect." I told her. She smiled a little at me.

We left towards the city, and Mr. Hummle took her in without hesitation. You could see the changes in Minnie after she got to work at the hospital. The first time, she was so nervous to be around blood, that she didn't even breathe; she just nodded along and wrote down what the doctors said to her. But slowly, as she started to see what miracles she could do working at a hospital; she started to trust herself more. She understood what I meant when I told her she wouldn't be able to ever again go back to hunt humans. I had never hunted humans, but when Minnie really started to work and helped out during humans' illnesses, and when she witnessed a new human baby come to into this world, she could see that a life drinking humans would be like a crime. She dreaded not having gotten the idea that animals would be a good substitute for humans when she was first changed; she dreaded having lived off of human blood her first 5 years.

"I will never, ever, in eternity drink human blood again." She told me when she for the first time witnessed a birth.

But then realization came, and she understood she would never be able to have children herself. It was a sad time for us, but Minnie remembered that we had FeeFee, and that he was like our child. But how she wished to have a baby.

Minnie and I were very good at what we did, and soon we became fully fledged doctors. I was able to do surgery, and in very rare cases my patient would die. Those cases were when the patient had no chance of surviving. I already knew so before the surgery started, but if I was to look human, I would have no idea. It pained me to no end that they could feel the pain. Their screams were so much louder to me, and it felt as if I could feel their pain with them. I remembered my transformation and flinched. At least they got peace in the end.

And that was why Minnie and I together started on science. We wanted to do something so that the patient would not feel anything. Give them some sort of medication so that they would become unconscious during surgery. It was so heartbreaking to hear how they suffered while Minnie and I did the surgery - we often worked as a team, because we were the best - and then just died. Every time it happened, we would go home feeling sad and restless, more so than every other day.

Therefore, Minnie and I started doing research about plants and liquids that might be able to at least ease the pain.

"You really think it will help?" Minnie asked while we read all the books we could get our hands on in our time off from the hospital. A small frown appeared on my forehead, as I considered what she said.

"I do Minnie; we just need to find out which combination will work best. If it just eases some of the pain, then we are already one step closer." I said to her. She nodded. She too, didn't like it when they screamed out in pain when we did surgery.

While we were still studying medical effects, we had to move.

"So, Minnie and Felix, where do you want to go next?" I asked them. Minnie was surrounded by books, and Felix was relaxing in front of the fire. It didn't matter to him that it was dangerous for him; the likes for fire hadn't got lost during his change. Minnie and I often joked his fur was just a decoration.

"I was thinking that we should move to another place in Europe; I want to see Scandinavia and Italy, France, Spain; all those places. Maybe Scandinavia first; I have heard there is many rainy days in Sweden." Minnie said. I nodded. Rainy days would be good; we could work more. Felix was nodding absentmindedly; it must look strange to regular vampires or humans were they to come by; a dog lying before the fire, nodding as if he joined in on the conversation. Not even regular dogs nod. But, as I have mentioned before, Felix is no regular dog. He is my first companion in this life, and like my baby. I don't need anything more than him and Minnie to be happy. Happy, but not complete.

I missed my Father. I don't know if he is still alive, or if he died that day, so many years ago. I hoped that he was changed and not killed. What a horrible daughter I am; to hope he was damned to this dreaded life of mine. But I couldn't help it. There had never been a body to find, and I just wanted him back.

"Bella?" Minnie asked. My head snapped up, and I laughed.

"Sorry, Min, I was just thinking. I think we should move to Sweden; it'd be great" She rolled her eyes, but grinned at me.

"Yeah let's; we'll quit tomorrow and move right away. Do you want to swim?" She asked. I thought about for a minute.

"Let's swim. I think we can have our things with us in a bag or in a box, and tow it behind." She nodded.

The next day we quit our jobs saying we were moving away.

"Do you need a recommendation?" Mr. Wilcox asked. Looking at Minnie faster than the man could catch, I saw she nodded.

"That would be great thank you. It is so hard to get a proper job as a woman these days." I said to him and smiled; from the corner of my eye, I could see Minnie nodding, but she was trying very hard not to laugh. Yes, it was hard to get a job as a woman. No, it was _not_ hard to get a job as a _vampire-_woman. Mr. Wilcox just smiled and signed a recommendation for us, and with a quick goodbye, we left for Sweden.

We were able to find an abandoned boat, and putting all our things in there, we swam towards whatever country was there first. It turned out to be Denmark; it was a beautiful country with all the greenery; it was nothing like London; this place was cleaner, and you could smell it in the air. Though not much; great personal hygiene was not something you really cared about. Many were poor, and all those children stuffed together in a small house… Sicknesses, death and waste were, as in London, something you could smell in the air.

I must admit the Danish forest held some strange animals. Most of them were the same as in England, but there was no elk or moose. Mostly, we settled with deer, and sometimes even wolves, but they didn't really taste good. We were across Denmark fast; that country was so small. When we got to Sweden, we quickly found a hut we could live in. It was small, but because of the fact that we don't sleep, it was perfect. The one bedroom there, we rebuild to a library. As fascinated by books as we both were, we spend really many hours with books before us. Felix, who had never been able to read, quickly got bored.

"Min?" I asked out in the room, knowing she could hear me from where she was sitting with Felix.

"Do you think we could teach FeeFee to read?" I grinned. I heard her laugh at the sight it must surely put in her mind; I know I had a funny picture of Felix, the vampire-dog lying with a book before him reading.

"We could try; that way he won't be bored when we're not here." Minnie said.

"_Would you please stop talking like I am not here?" _He said. Minnie and I laughed.

"But do you want to learn how to read FeeFee?" Minnie asked him. I heard him lift his shoulders and drop them again. It was odd to see a dog shrug.  
"Bella, let's get to work" And that was how we taught Felix how to read. It was rather funny to find him with a book whenever we got home. He was actually pretty good at turning the pages; he would carefully take his paw and try and get one of the claws under the paper, and then use his nose. He was truly a brilliant creature.

Felix soon became just as addicted to books as Minnie and I were; he read all the books we had in the library and whined for days until we got him new books. It was funny – scratch that, it was hilarious.

All Minnie and I ever used our money on was books and clothes. We were actually pretty rich because we only lived in abandoned huts and cottages.

Working in Sweden was interesting; we quickly picked up on the language, but I preferred to speak English. Minnie and I spoke fluently Swedish, and we could read and write it too, but we only spoke it while we were working or shopping. Felix had to learn the language too, so he could read the Swedish books.

One day though, I was walking through the town, and I saw something in an upper scale music store, a new creation. It was beautiful and before I knew what I was doing, the bell chimed from above me, indicating I had stepped into the store. A clerk came forward, and to the best of my ability I asked about the instrument. It was called a piano. It was somewhat unknown, but some Italian writer has just written a detailed description of it, and people were becoming interested. I bought it on the spot.

It was difficult to get to the cabin, but when I finally came back with it, I couldn't help but feel it belonged there. Minnie was looking at me weirdly as I sat before it, gently pushing down the keys, and delighting in the sounds it made. It was soft and beautiful, even to my sensitive ears.  
"What is that?" Minnie asked. She too was looking at it in slight awe.  
"It's called a piano," I explained as my fingers gently played a soft melody. It wasn't really anything, just tones strung together. I liked the way it sounded. I looked at Minnie and smiled. Her eyes showed the same thing as I felt; we had something new to spend time on.

After about 10 years all over Sweden, we decided to move on. We had to sell the piano because we couldn't bring it with us. I was sad; I loved it. Minnie and I had spent a lot of time on it, learning the different tunes and trying to put them together so that I sounded good. We had even made up some songs and had a great time with it. It was slightly worn, but we loved it so much, that we were always very careful. We were going to have to buy one more when the time came.

Our next stop was Spain. It was truly a beautiful country, but it was sunny most of the days. Therefore, we worked night shifts. The Spanish people found our accent funny, but as we learned the language, they slowly stopped commenting on the accent. I would never let go of my English accent; I was proud of it. It showed all people where I was from.

In the year 1721, I decided I wanted to try something else than working in a hospital.

"Min?" I asked suddenly, my fingers freezing above the keys of the piano. I had been playing softly, trying to figure out my thoughts. Playing the piano always relaxed me.

Minnie was reading a novel, and seemed to be interested in it.

"Hmm?" She said, engrossed in her book. It made me wonder if I someday would write a book? That could be fun…

"Do you want to try something else than working in a hospital?" Her head snapped up and looking at me, she forgot her book. She looked to be thinking about it for a minute.

"Yeah, I think it could be nice with change. What do you want to try out?" It was my turn to ponder for a moment. We were currently living in France, and I thought it could be fun to try something new.

"Hmm… there is opening a clothing store?" That didn't sound something I would enjoy. I wrinkled my nose. Minnie didn't look too pleased either.

"No… What about opening a Café?" Minnie asked. That sounded a little better. Maybe we could try that out.

"We could try that," I agreed, "but we would have to do it in another city; we can't start a Café here, now because we have to move soon anyway." I said and agreeing, she and I started to pack up. Once again we decided to sell the piano and buy a new one at our next destination.

Starting over again would be great. Felix too, was happy for the change of scenery; he was always a little excited about it.

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**I hope you'll forgive me for still not having her meet Carlisle.. But that seen is already written, and I've gotta say I like it. You'll have to wait a little longer ;) **

**Cheers! **


	15. Chapter 15

**Here you go, an extra long chapter to make up for the somewhat long wait :) I hope you like it - we take a step closer in this one! **

**DISCLAIMER: Maybe I should start making a long-ass disclaimer at the beginning of every story.. That would save me from having to come uo with new creative ways to say that I do indeed not own Twilight; I'm just playing with the characters**

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BPOV

It didn't take long to open the Café and for it to become popular. We had many regulars, and they, thankfully, recommended our Café to their friends and family. The food smelled horrible; actually, everything we served smelled horrible to us, but the humans seemed to enjoy it. Minnie and I had spent a lot of money on cookbooks, but it wasn't really necessary seeing as I remembered my human life so clearly and I could still remember how to bake cakes and bread and whatnot. The old recipes were really popular in Paris. Funny, how we hadn't been living in Paris seeing as we had lived in France for about 7 years. During the sunny days, we always took on long sleeves. Thankfully, it was warm in France, and so therefore, we could easily have a small cover over our little Café. We experimented with our sparkling skin when it was sunny, and we weren't working. It turned out we could have shorts on in the sunlight, if we wore tights. Then our skin didn't sparkle. We would be a little less suspicious, if we were able to walk around in shorts. It was just Minnie and me taking care of the Café. We actually lived in the Café; we had big room out in the back where we had our stuff. Felix stayed in there all day and read or just relaxed. He was such a good dog. In the morning, I would bake bread and cakes and they would be fresh for when people started to arrive. Then Minnie would take their orders, and working vampire speed, I fixed the food. The doors into the kitchen had no windows, and people thought we had more people working. Truth is, working the speed we could; their food could have been ready five minutes after they ordered. As it was a Café and not a restaurant, we only served breakfast, cake and sandwiches. We got really good tips because of our looks. It was annoying, and at the same time flattering. But we were happy that people actually came to our café and didn't just cringe away like their instincts told them to.

After a couple of years in our Café, it was time to move on. We sold it, and moved to Italy where we decided to work for the police. Minnie being able to detect any lie and me being able to see the past, we were the quickest to solve crimes. We were a really good team, and mostly, the poor criminal would blurt out the truth when we questioned them because of our – shall we say - _identity_.

"Hey Min, I think being a police-officer is fun, but firstly, we have to move, and secondly, I think it will become more interesting as the world develop. Don't you think?" I asked. She nodded looking thoughtful.

"What is it Min?" I was a little worried. She had this faraway look on her face and she biting her lip; something she had picked up from me. Like I had picked up running my hand through my hair like her.

"Do you remember telling me about the Volturi?" She asked; not saying anything, I nodded.

"I think we should visit them. It wouldn't be good to be caught doing what we do, mingle with humans, here in Italy; I am almost positive that they wouldn't listen to us." She whispered. I nodded, and called on Felix. When dawn came, we had already finished packing, and we were walking to the station to quit. When we were out of there, we ran. We used the woods, and roads where there were no humans out. After about a week, we found Volterra. It was day when we got there, so we hit in an empty house. It was pretty cozy, but according to the smell, people lived there. When the night came we hurried out of the house, leaving everything untouched and ran with all our things to the castle of Volterra, where we had heard from other vampires that the Volturi lived.

Before we even had the chance to find the door that lead into the impressive castle, there was a huge buff vampire standing before us. I saw in his past, that he was changed by the Volturi, he was loyal to them, and that he lived off of humans. That was no surprise seeing as his eyes were a ruby red. Minnie looked disgusted. I was calm, already knowing who he was and what he was able to do. I could take him anytime; he relied on his strength, and that was no smart move. But I did have some doggy tricks…

He had no power, but he was very strong, and that was why the Volturi kept him. His name was Felix; ironically. He was changed after FeeFee; in the year 1705. That was now 31 years ago. His intentions? Waiting for his Master's orders.

"Hello. My name is Isabella." I said, reaching out to shake his hand. With a suspicious look in his scary eyes, he shook my hand. He visibly relaxed when he felt that I wasn't burning him with my hand or whatever he thought might happen.

"My name is Felix. Come with me." He said, and without further ado, we walked into the castle.

"And what is your name?" Felix asked Minnie. She frowned, probably thinking; and now you remember? Rolling her eyes she told him her name was Minnie.

The fashion around this time for the rich people was to wear gloves. I was happy, because I knew Aro's gift only worked when there was skin to skin contact.

Felix led us through the amazing castle, and I took it all in. The fantastic paintings, the well decorated rooms of the castle, and most of all, I admired the mystical feeling the castle gave me. It was like magic; though, it scared me. My loyal dog was right beside me, and Minnie was gripping my hand really hard on the other side of me.

"_I do not like this Bella. I do not like this at all." _FeeFee said. Stroking his fur, I tried to calm him down.

"Don't worry FeeFee." I whispered so low that Minnie didn't even hear. I knew Felix did, but only because his hearing was so much better than mine.

"Master" Felix – the vampire – said as he entered a big, round room where the ceiling was so high up, that the windows that hung just below it, shone with the last remains of the setting sun.

"Felix, it's good to see you again." said Aro. He past flashed before my eyes, and I saw how he and his brothers, Caius and Marcus, had become the leaders of the vampire world. I wasn't very pleased about his past; he could be truly deadly and evil. But he had his moments. The most interesting part of seeing Aro's past was that he had read so many vampires thoughts and now I had read them all. It was intimidating actually.

What caught my eye the most though, was that he had met Carlisle Cullen.

* * *

I gasped. I couldn't help it. He knew my father. My father was alive. He was out there, somewhere. And he hadn't forgotten me. He still loved me. If I was still human, I would have been crying. Minnie, sensing my sudden change of mood, looked concerned at me, and asked what was wrong.

"Minnie." I whispered. I didn't really care that I was about to reveal one of my powers to Aro; I would deal with it later.

"Minnie, he knows my father!" I squealed in delight. Aro was looking at me strangely, and with this power-hungry look in his eyes.

"That's great Bella!" She said, smiling and looking amused at me. FeeFee was getting restless beside me, so I reached down and stroke his fur.

"FeeFee; he knows my father! My father is alive!" I said, and hugged him. Showing his support, he rested his head on my shoulder, and thought to me he was happy for me.

"Hello, dear, my name is-" thinking I had already blown my cover I cut him off.

"Aro, yes I know. Excuse me for being so blunt. My name is Isabella Cullen" I said, and shook his hand. He looked disappointed that I had a glove on. I didn't want him to get too suspicious, so I introduced my little family.

"This is Minnie; my sister, though not biologically. This is Felix; my baby." I said and grinned at Felix as he playfully growled at me. I heard the vampire-Felix snicker behind Aro.

"Named a dog after me? How sweet." He said; wow, that guy was annoying. Smiling cruelly, I explained FeeFee to them.

"Actually not Felix. This dog, I met in 1692; he had been following me around the city when I went to look for food. You see, I lived in the forest. I didn't have a home; my whole family was dead, and my dad was missing. Well, in December 1693, I was again on the streets. Felix here was by my side, and he was when the vampire caught me and changed me. He lay by my side during my change; not once did he leave me. 3 days later, my creator was still there; I got angry and killed him. My instincts told me to burn him, so I ran out of the city and into the forest where I burned him. Felix followed me again, and we somehow formed a bond again. He didn't smell like a food-source for me and he became my friend. If it wasn't for Felix, I might be living the same way you do now;" I told Aro. He seemed to be caught up in my story; always searching for new stories to add to his little book, he had in his mind.

"-Off of humans. I was out hunting some meat for him, knowing he must be hungry. When I found the deer, I drank it, and now I have never tasted human blood. I stayed in the forest with Felix, but after about a year we moved on to Dublin. I had met a vampire – you know him Aro, he was on his way to meet you – Theo, and he told me about the vampire world. When we had moved around a lot, I started working in a hospital, and one day when I got home, Felix was very sick. So I tried to change him, and here he is. I changed him in 1696, so I believe, Felix – not you FeeFee – that he is older than you. Of course you can tell what that means," I said. I almost couldn't hold in the laughter as he turned furious. Well, it was hilarious to piss off one of the Volturi guard.

"Want to fight me?" I knew he did, I just didn't want to have to explain this other gift of mine. Minnie was looking worried, but I winked at her, and she knew how good at fighting I was. I mean, with my past, who wouldn't want to defend themself?

Felix was looking furious, but I just edged him on.

"Bring it." I said and he lunged at me. I dodged him, and before he had turned around, I was rolling under his legs. When he turned, I wasn't there, and I jumped from behind. I got him in a grip there was no way he could escape from, and let him lay there on the floor, with little me holding him down. I told you I could take him.

"I win." I announced and got up. Aro was looking wide-eyed at me; as were every other member of his guard. Embarrassed, I waved awkwardly to those who wouldn't stop staring. They still all stared at me.

"Okay… Aro, could we, perhaps, talk somewhere else? I'm not quite comfortable here…" I trailed off. All those stares, including Aro's were making me want to flee the place. Minnie didn't look exactly comfortable either.

"Why of course dear." The way he said it, made a shiver go down my spine. And not in a good way; it felt like he just found his most prized possession. I was no one's possession; I belonged to myself.

We made our way through the castle – not after Aro said that Renata, a physical shield, could just stay; I wasn't going to hurt anybody – and when we finally got to Aro's office, I almost couldn't contain a small gasp. The office was filled with the most expensive jewelry, and paintings of the times most popular painters hung on the walls. He was a collector; you could see it on how many different type of things there was; different cultures. Minnie held my hand so tight it almost hurt and, to reassure her, I gave her hand a small squeeze. She relaxed; she knew I would let nothing happen to her or Felix. And the fact that she was nearly as good as me in a fight, made her somewhat comfortable. I do not think Minnie would ever be as good as me in a fight; the more vampires I met, the more techniques I got. I was able to see what others used, and could use it against themselves and others. That made me a real lethal fighter. I could teach Minnie as many of the moves as possible, and that was what I did; Minnie was a really, really good fighter too.

"So Isabella, tell me about Felix." Felix growled quietly; Aro cringed back just a fraction. I had to agree with Aro though; his growl was so frightening that I would cringe back too, if it was directed at me.

"Well his change was strange. I don't know if you remember FeeFee, but it lasted exactly a week. On the exact same day, hour, minute, yes even _second _a week after, he stopped changing." Aro's eyes lit up with excitement.

"But Aro, I do not think you will be able to change animals. First of all, I drink animal blood. That must do something with my venom. Second of all, I had formed a bond with Felix even after my own change. He trusted me, lived with me; never _once_ cringed away from me. I provided for him and loved him. I still love you FeeFee,-" I said as Felix huffed. I grinned at him, and ruffled his ears. In turn, he did the most doglike thing of all doglike things; he stuck his tongue out and breathed through his mouth.

"_I love you too Bella." _He said. Aro though, he frowned slightly.

"Yes Isabella, I think you may be right; I have never heard of an animal change before." He seemed to remember something right that moment.

"You said you knew Theo. He came to me many years ago; I remember him. He showed me some interesting things. I especially liked what information he had about you; even when Felix was mortal, you had a bond with him, yes?" I nodded. Aro seemed pleased.

"I could hear his thoughts back then too, if that is what you mean." I knew he had seen it in Theo's thoughts. Aro smiled.

"Aro?" I asked. Minnie was unusually quiet; I think she was a little afraid of Aro and what he could do. I had no intentions about Aro finding out Minnie's gift. Aro nodded a gesture for me to continue.

"Have you told anybody about my abilities?" I whispered. He frowned.

"No I have not. I saw that you told Theo, to ask if I would please keep quiet about it." I sighed relieved.

"Thank you." I said to him. He smiled. I looked at Minnie as if to ask if he told the truth. She looked down at Felix, ruffled his ears, as if not to seem suspicious and then looked at me again. He was telling the truth. Aro was looking at the two of us.

"Oh, how rude of me. This is my sister; Minnie." I told Aro. He shook her hand, still disappointed that she had on a glove.

"It is very nice to meet you." Minnie said. She didn't really like Aro; there was something about him.

I told Aro all about my gifts; how I was able to see the immediate intentions of another creature – human or vampire – my gift for seeing the past and knowing their power.

"Other vampires' gifts do not work on me. I think it has to do with my past; it was very rough and I don't want anybody to know, unless I tell them myself. So I think my gift is a defense of some sort; no gift work on me, but I can know everything about my opponent; I can talk, flee or fight." I had no intentions of telling Aro about my past, and I think he knew so, no matter how curious he was.

* * *

Minnie never told Aro about her gift; we were already feared and desired enough already. The guard feared us because they knew Minnie could fight just as well as me. Aro desired us because he knew my gifts and because of Felix. I had told him about how much better FeeFee's hearing, smell and speed was. Aro had been so intrigued that he told Felix to run around for him; even to a vampires eyes, Felix was a blur. Aro was so fascinated that he wouldn't let us go at the time.

Minnie and I stayed there for about 3 years, and Aro still had no idea what Minnie could do. I hated staying there; the human's screams the smell of blood. Minnie didn't like it one bit either. She had perfect self-control now, so it wasn't the smell that bothered her. Everything that we fought for when we worked at hospitals seemed to be pointless while we lived here. I told Aro that I would not help him when he executed; he could see the past just as well as I could. I also refused to teach my fighting methods or fight in general; Minnie did too. FeeFee didn't want to either. All in all, I refused to be used as a tool for the Volturi. Caius was furious, but he was smart enough not to cross me; he knew I could probably beat him, since I knew how he fought.

I had had enough after those 3 years; Aro constantly asking us to join his precious guard, the guard constantly trying to make me fight so they could copy me. It was getting irritating, and so Minnie, FeeFee and I decided to move on.

"I will see you around at one point or another, of that I am sure Aro. Live well, my friend." I told him when we parted. Well, he wasn't exactly my friend, but he didn't know that, now did he?

It was a relief to escape Volterra; we moved to Switzerland where we worked as doctors again.

It was good to be the master of your own life again. I was on the look for my father; it was hard, but now that I knew he was alive, I never gave up the hope to find him some day. That melody I heard when I was changed kept playing in my mind. I hummed it all the time. I wish I had a piano so I could actually play it. Perhaps even compose lyrics to it.  
I would have to buy one soon.

* * *

**So there! Bella is now aware that one Carlisle Cullen is alive!  
What do you think of it? **

**Cheers!**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hello lovelies :) I figured, in the spririt of the holidays, I'd post this little nugget... Happy reading! ;)**

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CPOV

I came home from work at the hospital to see Emmett and Jasper fighting over who won the wrestling-match. Emmett was being stubborn and said Jasper cheated, but Jasper just laughed and said Emmett was a bad loser. I smiled at them, not believing they had that fight _again. _

Esme came down to greet me, and I couldn't believe that she was actually mine. She was just so beautiful and kind and loving and perfect. Kissing her lips softly, I smiled at my wife and we walked hand in hand into the living room. Edward was playing the piano softly. It pained me to see that he was lonely, but one day, she would come, and he would have so much love to give. Esme was looking sadly at him, but she smiled when Edward made a swift shift in the melody and it became Esme's favorite.

Alice was discussing fashion with Rosalie by the computer. I became nostalgic when I saw it; back when I was human, I would have laughed at someone saying that sometime in the future, there would be a machine, smarter than humans – or capable of near-human things, anyway. But then again, I would have laughed if they told me a vehicle would come instead of horses. I wouldn't even have known what a vehicle was.

Emmett was in a game mood today, so he begged Jasper to play Halo with him. Jasper won again, and Emmett sulked on the couch. Just to cheer him up, I let my accent seep through when I talked with him. Emmett's booming laughter sounded throughout the entire house.

"Carlisle, I'm sorry, but God it's hilarious when you speak so weird. I could never imagine anything sounding funnier. Not even Jasper's accent." He laughed.

"Hey!" Jasper, being from the South as he was, also had an accent, though we both were very good at hiding them. Emmett snickered but didn't say anything.

This was almost daily routine, and it never ceased to amaze me how my family lived in such harmony with each other. I made my way to my study to put away my briefcase and hospital coat. A book caught my eye. I had a lot of books in my study but not all of them I had read. Esme had maybe read those, or Edward. But this book I had never read, but it sounded interesting. It was a mythical book; the type of book I always ended up laughing at because they were so incorrect from the real life.

'_Edward? Have you read this one?' _I asked. From his room I could hear his quiet laughter.

"Yes I have. It's rather interesting." He told me. Smiling, I turned the first page and read it. It was about this girl that got sucked into an adventure with supernatural creatures fighting against her. She had to fight with the fear of never finding what she sought and never getting out of the constant adventure she lived in. It was a fight with the time; if she didn't figure it out, she would never have the chance again.

It was clearly a fiction, but it was interesting. It was as if the story had a hidden meaning. I saw that it was written in the late 1900s, around 1989. The author was the main-character; clearly the author wanted to be anonymous.

It was a good book, really. When I was a couple of hundred pages into the book, I decided I wanted to join my family. I walked into the living room and sat down with the book.

"Is it a good book, darling?" Esme asked. She looked curiously at the title.

"Surprisingly, yes. I feel like there is this hidden meaning with her struggle. Like this author is looking for something too, but haven't found it. It's just hidden in imaginative adventures. This girl's imagination doesn't miss anything; it's really described well. It's about a girl fighting against time and all sorts of creatures, trying to find something. It amazes me; normally, I'm good at guessing the end, but this book surprises me all the time." I said. Esme smiled, and snuggled into me as I read the book. She didn't care that my attention was elsewhere; she was content anyway. I smiled down at her and kissed her forehead. It took about an hour, and then I was finished.

"Well that was an interesting book." I said, a little sad about the ending. But it was a really good book.

"Should I read it?" Esme asked. Without really hearing, I just nodded. I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was a meaning behind it all. That the writer hadn't found what she sought either. That she was still seeking. Esme took the book, and was quickly engrossed in it. I watched as she read it. The way her hair fell around her face and shoulders as she read was beautiful. The way she sat with such gracefulness. I kissed her temple, and she smiled. I pulled her to me, and as she read, she leaned further into me. The house was completely quiet.

"Where're the kids?" I asked. I smiled slightly at the term "kids". But they were to me.

"Out hunting. Edward's upstairs, Alice and Rose in Alice's room. And now shush, I want to read this book." She said and grinned slightly. A grumbling sound from my chest told her I found it funny.

As I watched Esme read; I saw the different emotions that crossed her face as she read the book. The way a frown would appear when she thought the girl in the book did something wrong, she smiled subconsciously when something good happened, and sometimes her eyes would tear with the tears that could never be shed.

Then I heard a scream. It was not a scream I was used to. Edward upstairs and Rosalie and Alice in Alice's room came running down the stairs, alarmed. Esme put the book aside on the coffee table and sat up, worry and fear in her eyes. Edward was frowning.

"What is it Edward?" I asked, worried now.

"Emmett and Jasper are taking this vampire with them. I can hear their thoughts but not hers. She's blank; it's like she's not there." Esme grabbed my hand and held it tight. This couldn't be good.

"Let me go, let me go, let me go!" The vampire screamed. Something about her voice tugged at my heart, but I brushed the feeling away.

"No! You have no right to spy!" Jasper yelled.

"I did not!" She screamed at him. I must admit she sounded offended and scary. But what caught my attention the most was her accent. It was British.

"So sitting in a tree, watching Carlisle through the window is not spying?" Emmett said. This vampire was watching me? Why? Esme scowled at the door. Kissing her temple, she relaxed.

"I. Was. Not. Spying! Listen I'm sorry okay? I just really want to meet him." She sounded so heartbroken. My heart soared for the girl.

"Why?" Jasper asked. I could tell he was struggling to keep her in his grip, whatever he did.

"Because, I have been looking for him. Now let go of me, Empath." She whispered. The British accent told me something. I frowned; how did she know Jasper was an Empath? Suddenly she screeched.  
"Emmett, can you just hold her?" Jasper asked. I'm sure she surprised him by saying that; maybe he even released his hold for a moment. That didn't sound like Jasper though.

There was a lot of noise, and suddenly, Emmett was roaring. We heard a crash and then suddenly, the girl was screaming again.

"Oh for Christ sake!" She screamed. Suddenly she was quiet.

"I'm sorry." She whispered and started sobbing. Esme got a compassionate expression on her face. Whatever happened out there, it didn't sound good.

Emmett opened the door. Jasper came in with a sobbing vampire, holding her arms in front of her, and pressing her back to his chest. She looked up, and I nearly fainted.

* * *

**I'd like to know how much further you all think I should take this story. Mostly I wanted to focus on the journey Bella went through, and frankly I feel this story will be ruined if I continue to add chapters. Of course we'll see more, just how much? When should I end it? **

**This was one of the first stories I ever wrote, and it's also one of my favourites. It'll be sad once it's over, but that's why I need your help.. What do you wish to see happen? :)**

**Cheers! And happy December! **


	17. Chapter 17

The years passed quickly, and Minnie and I had been living in USA for the past 78 years or so. We had worked as FBI-agents, thought that was a quick affair. It was fun, but they questioned our strength. We were too strong, and we had to move away because of the suspicion. We tried out as police-officers and we made a great team. Many criminals had been sent to jail because of us. Me seeing the past, Minnie detecting the lies, and our looks combined, made the criminals confess fast.

We had just moved to Forks, WA, and I had decided to start High School over again.

We had both been High School so many times we had lost count. We had taken many degrees as well. I think we had been to all Ivy League colleges, had lived in so many cities. Minnie would pose as my older sister; she would work at the hospital. I had persuaded Ms. Cope to allow me to have Felix with me in school. It was rather funny actually. I made my puppy dog eyes, and told her that he was my only support. I told her that my parents had died, and that Minnie was hard working, almost never home. Felix was the only comfort I had. She had agreed after I had assured her that no-one could get allergic reactions to him. "I have allergies myself, but he's a special breed," I had explained. So I was able to have FeeFee with me in school the first day.

We had just finished packing out our things, when I decided I wanted to explore the forest around our home. In the time we had lived in the US, we had started living in houses we bought and not abandoned cottages. It was nice; we would normally buy 2 story houses, share the top one, and have kitchen, living room, study, guest room and dining room on the bottom floor. We had both a bathroom and walk-in closets attached to our rooms. Our garage was filled with cars; we both had a weakness for speed. We shared a Midnight blue Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Roadster, a red Ferrari California, a Mercedes McLaren and an AudiR8. Besides, I had a motorcycle. Minnie preferred to not drive them.

"Min, I'm going for a run. I need to hunt for tomorrow anyway, I'll see you later!" I yelled into our Victorian-style house. It was very beautiful, and there was forest all around it. We had already encountered the wolves, and they told us the rules of some treaty they had made with some other vampires. Of course we promised to keep them.

"Okay Bella! I'm just decorating my room!" She yelled to me. Grinning, I ran into the forest and just around. The nature of Forks was very pretty; everything was green; even the light was greenish. I came across a mountain lion, something I hadn't tasted in a while. Happily, I drank it and kept running. I was laughing and dancing around the forest, when I caught the scent. It wasn't more than a couple of days old, and it was vampire. Curious, I followed the scent. It led me even further into the forest, until it mingled with even more scents. There was 7 smells all together. I frowned. Vampires usually couldn't live so many together. If they lived off of humans, that is. The only exception I had heard of was the Volturi. I came to a large clearing where the most beautiful mansion was. I knew I had to keep quiet, so I held in the gasp and ran to a tree. I wasn't ready for confrontation yet. Crawling into the tree, I saw that from it, I could see an office. And inside that office, was a man I had never ever thought I would see again. My father. I was so happy my heart would have been fluttering against my ribcage if I was human. His blond hair and kind face shone with compassion and gentleness. I could see myself in him; my eyes, my cheekbones, my hairline, my nose. He had golden eyes. I could have screamed out loud and done a happy dance that I had found my father, and that we survived the same way. I wanted to run, not caring who saw, and attach myself to him in a bone-crushing hug; never letting go. I wanted to burst through the doors and not let anyone get in my way. This was what I had been waiting for, for over 300 hundred years. I never wanted to go away from him.

Suddenly, I was being dragged down by two sets of large hands. I screamed and fought with all my might. I had been attacked too many times by my uncle. And I was a vampire. I shouldn't be able to be caught. Fear shot through me; would they hurt me? I trembled with fear and tried getting free of the grasp I was in.

"No, no, please! Let me go!" I cried. I hadn't seen the vampires yet; I couldn't see their past. I had to see the person, whether it was just his or hers hair or look them in their eyes; I had to see some of the person to look into their pasts. Frantically I looked around and saw a huge fellow; his past flashed before my eyes; Emmett Dale McCarty, now Cullen, born 1915, turned 1935, husband to Rosalie; a whole lot of memories I didn't need and no special powers. He was curious, but at the same time angry; he wanted to fight.

I got a look of the vampire's, who held me, hand. Jasper Whitlock, now Hale or Cullen, turned 1863, born 1843, Major in the Civil War, newborn Army trainer. Husband to Alice; ability, empathy. He was a very experienced fighter, but I think I could win if it came down to it. 300 hundred years of fighting experience must beat his 150.

"How dare you spy on us?" He hissed. I felt the fear growing stronger; would they hurt me? Like James? I shivered at the thought. His plans were to fight me if necessary. I hoped it wouldn't come down to that.

"I didn't spy!" I was getting angry, but the fear was still there. I had been through too much to not feel it. He didn't buy it. But I hadn't been spying!

"Let me go, let me go, let me go!" I screamed. I was getting really angry.

"No! You have no right to spy!" Jasper yelled. I just wanted to throw him off, but that would mean fight. That wasn't the smartest move right now.

"I did not!" I screamed at him in my British accent.

"So sitting in a tree, watching Carlisle through the window is not spying?" Emmett said. He sounded like he was always curious. According to his past, he liked to prank and tease my father about his accent.

"I. Was. Not. Spying! Listen I'm sorry okay? I just really want to meet him." Even to myself I sounded strangled. Why wouldn't they let me see my father?

"Why?" Jasper asked. He was struggling to keep in place; I nearly had him.

"Because, I have been looking for him. Now let go of me, Empath." I whispered. I was getting tired of this. I screeched.  
"Emmett, can you just hold her?" Jasper asked. My statement about his power and my screech had surprised him; he was losing his hold on me. Emmett held me again his chest with my hands in front of me. I thought fast; I threw myself forward and landed on my hands; my one foot flew upwards and hit him, sending him flying over me and into a tree. He roared as he flew through the air. There was a loud crash from the impact. Poor tree; the dude was huge. I did a front flip and landed on my feet again. But then Jasper got a hold of me.

"Oh for Christ sake!" I screamed. Realizing it helped nothing, I just stopped struggling; there was no point anyway.

"I'm sorry." I whispered and started sobbing. Here I was, within 20 feet of my father, and I was fighting against his family. I slumped and just let him lead me to the house. Wait, he led me to the house! I almost turned around and gave him a hug. But I didn't. I was really mad at him. Emmett was on his feet again, he had gotten over the surprise, and he opened the door. Once inside, I sighed quietly once, and looked up, directly into the eyes of my father. My happiness spiked again, and I leapt for him, Jasper had loosened his grip, so I was free to run for my father. What I didn't expect was his wife, Esme, to stand in front of him.

"How dare you?" She yelled. I cringed back. I felt like I could cry. I knew my father knew who I was; when he saw me, he looked like he was going to faint.

"Esme, please. Let me say hi. I haven't seen him since 28th September 1676." She looked confused, and I used that to my advantage. I jumped around her and flew at my father. I ran so fast that is knocked him over. I hugged him, and started dry sobbing with happy tears. He hugged me back, and I was so happy in that moment, that I felt nothing could happen to me; no one could burst my bubble. How very wring I was. Jasper, I think it was, tore me off of my father.

"NO! Papa!" I yelled. Everybody froze. Jasper let go of me, and everybody stared at me. Sheepishly, I looked down on the carpet and put my hands behind my back.

"Sorry. I shouldn't have disturbed you this way. I'm just going to go." I had never done anything to hide my British accent; I was proud of it. I turned around to leave when my father's voice cut through the tense silence.

"Choco! Wait!" He said. Choco? I smiled as warmth spread through my being. He hadn't forgotten.

I turned around and ran to him again. He was standing again, and he held me tight. I didn't care; I had found my father after seeking for him since I found out he was alive from Aro.

"Oh Isabella. I thought I would never see you again. I'm so sorry about what happened back then. The hunt went wrong and I was changed." He said.

"I know Papa, I know. I saw it." He stiffened.

"When you say _saw_ what do you mean?" I looked at him and grinned. Then I looked at Alice, and her past flashed before my eyes. She couldn't remember herself, but that was because she had been in the Asylum for so long. I gasped, let go of my father and ran to her. She was very surprised to say the least when I took her into a hug.

"Oh, Alice, I'm so sorry. Parents shouldn't do that, not at all." I said to her. She was frozen.

"W-what do you mean?" I had noticed Jasper was very tense.

"Relax Major, I ain't gonna hurt her." I smiled at him. He looked confused to say the least.

I looked Alice in the eye and said to them all: "I think it's about time I tell you about my power." They nodded, but Alice still looked fearful.

"Can I just call my sister?" I asked. Carlisle frowned at that but shrugged.

"Of course dear, you can use our phone." I smiled at him. I didn't want to let go of him, but I needed Minnie there when I told my dad about my past.

"Thanks!" I danced over to the phone and called Minnie, the euphoria still very much present.

"Minnie!" I screeched when she picked it up.

"Jeez, Bella what's up?" She laughed.

"Min! My Papa lives in Forks! I found him! Follow my scent and come here, bring Felix." I told her.

"Bella! That's great! We'll be there in a few."

"See you Min!" I said and hung up.

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**There, the reunion at last! I hope it was worth the wait! :)**

**Cheers!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A belated Happy Christmas (or whatever you celebrate!) and Happy New Years! :) Now, I have two words about not updating: forgive me? **

**DISCLAIMER: Well, I am still pretty sure I would know if I had written Twilight...**

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BPOV

All the vampires in the room had moved to sit down in the living room. When I walked in there, my eyes caught sight of something. The book I had written in 1989.

"You like the book?" I asked grinning. Esme looked at me as if I was had lost my sanity. Her past was very sad.

I would have done the same if I had loved the thing that once grew in my stomach.

"Yes, very much actually." She said. I beamed at her.

"Really? I wrote it!" I said and smiled. She looked wary, but proud. I looked around at all the family members of my Papa's family. They were all wary. They couldn't quite figure out where they had me, and it unnerved them.  
When I saw Rosalie's past, I gasped. She looked confused as to why I had gasped when I looked at her. But that quickly fixed into the scowl she shot toward me. She didn't really like me; she didn't trust me. Her power was pretty cool though…

"Oh Rosalie. I'm so sorry." I said to her. She blinked and shook her head.

"Would you stop being so cryptic? It's driving me insane" A male voice said to my left. I looked at him and had to resist the urge to blink. Even with the frown on his face, he was by far the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. He had the power to read minds, and he really wanted to hear my story.

"You won't be able to get into my head. Sorry Edward, but it is not going to happen." I winked at him. He scowled. Jasper was very tense, understandably. His past had made him cautious when meeting new vampires; he didn't trust easily, and my entrance hadn't exactly endeared me to him. He was assessing me, trying to figure out if I posed a threat to the family, Carlisle's daughter or not.  
Grinning, I heard somebody knock on the door.

"_Are you okay Bella?"_ FeeFee asked concerned through the door. Esme had gone to open it.

"Yes, Felix, I'm fine." I said and grinned when they all looked at me like I was mental. I grinned at them all. Esme gasped when she opened the door. Felix was standing there. She must have heard me talk to Felix, and now she found out he was a dog.

"FeeFee, get in here!" I yelled, and the dog came running. I laughed as he sat still in front of me and barked a happy bark.

"It's good to see you too Felix." I ruffled his ears. Jasper had moved to curiosity.

"Uhm, I'm sorry ma'am, but why are you talkin' to him?" I grinned.

"_Ahh, this could be fun…"_ Felix said in my mind and I grinned at him.

"You see Jasper, this is no ordinary dog. I met him in 1692-" There was several gasps. Just as Minnie stepped into the living room with Esme.

"-the year before I was changed. This, my friend, is the world's only vampire-dog in history. I changed him myself." I said. They all looked at me in disbelief. I laughed – I really needed to stop that. Sure, I enjoyed being cryptic, sometimes, but at the moment, it was a defense mechanism. I didn't want to explain how I had ended up here. I didn't want to go through my past one more time.

"It's true though; I met Bella in 1703. She asked me to follow her. I thought she was strange. She had golden eyes, and I didn't understand. I followed her, and when we got to the cottage she had rebuilt Felix was there, changed and all." She smiled at the disbelieving faces there was given to her.

"Okay okay, watch this; Felix nod if you understand what I am saying." I said to him. He nodded. My father gasped.

"How interesting!" He exclaimed.

"I knew you would like him; Aro was so intrigued that it took Min and I 3 years to get away from there. Gosh, that man is persistent." I said. Emmett laughed a booming laughter.

"I like you already. But man, girl, you can _fight_!" He said. There was deadly quiet. I looked down and with a sad voice I said: "Yeah."

Edward hissed in frustration.

"Edward, you might as well just drop it; there's no getting under. You cannot ever read my mind!" I said to him.

"But how do you _know_ that I'm a mind reader, that Jasper is an Empath-" I cut him off,

"That Alice can see the future and Rosalie has the power to heal?" She gasped.

"What?" She exclaimed. Confused, I looked at her.

"What, what?" I asked.

"I have what?" She was looking eagerly at me; she must really don't know she had a power. I frowned.

"The power to heal?" I sounded like a question.

"I have?!"

"I wouldn't have said it if you hadn't; Min over there didn't believe me either the first time." I told her. She beamed at me, but then, she frowned. Emmett cut in.

"But how do you _know? _What's your power?" I looked down and mumbled.

"Defense"

"How is that a power?" Jasper asked. I sighed. Looking at Minnie, she walked over to me and took my hand.

"You can do it Bella; he deserves to know." I looked her in her eyes.

"But he doesn't want to hear! What if-" I cut myself off, well aware that my dad was sitting right in front of me, on the other couch.

"Yes Choco, I want to hear." He said softly. I looked at him with sad eyes.

"No you don't." I whispered. He frowned and looked panicked. If you only knew Daddy, if you only knew.

"Yes. Tell me Isabella." He moved to sit beside me, taking my hand in his. I gulped. It wasn't good when he used that tone on me. I leaned into Minnie, and Felix put his head in my lap for comfort. Stroking his fur, I started. I took a deep breath; _here we go_

"My power is defense. I can see any creature's 3 P's. I call it that because it's easier. 1. The power. 2. The past. 3. Immediate plans. Power, Past, Plans – the three P's.

I can see your entire past, as long back as you can subconsciously remember." As Alice opened her mouth to say she didn't remember, I raised my hand to stop her.

"I know you don't remember Alice. But that doesn't mean I can't see. I can't see Minnie's past. We have this theory that it is because she couldn't remember her life even as a human." Minnie nodded.

"We think she got amnesia before she was changed. She woke up from her change and decided to be called Minnie." I looked at her and smiled. She nodded for me to continue.

"Alice, your past isn't nice. Do you want to hear it?" I asked her. She nodded, though it was warily.

"You can't remember anything because you were in an asylum for most of your life. Your parents thought you were possessed by the devil and sent you there." I told her in a small voice. Her jaw dropped to her chest, her breathing became a little labored and she leaned into Jasper for support at the shocking news. How I wish I had somebody who could support me.

"Rosalie, I am sorry for what happened to you. I want you to know that you can talk to me about it." I said to her. She frowned.

"I have already talked with my family about it, thank you." She didn't mean to sound rude and I know it.

"If you need to talk to somebody who knows, Rose. That was what I meant." I whispered. She gasped. Papa and Edward growled. Papa I understood but Edward?

"WHAT?" Papa roared. He was looking pained. I saw guilt in his gaze, too, but I didn't want him to feel that.

"It gets worse dad. I told you, you didn't want to know." I said calmly. I took a deep breath and continued. He squeezed my hand, whether to reassure me or himself, I don't know.

"I remember everything from my human life. I remember since the first day I was born. My first memory ever, is of you, Daddy, the day I was born." I smiled as I remembered.

"You were smiling down at me with tears in your eyes; I had just been born." I said. My dad smiled as he remembered.

"How do you remember that?" He said softly.

"I remember every single person I have ever met; but the first look I get of them is always the clearest. Also, I don't look through mud as I hear you do when you remember." I told them. Closing my eyes, I told them about my human life. How my grandparents died; how Mom died. How I was adopted by James.

"When I was 13, James and Amelia adopted me. They were the coldest, most heartless people I had ever met. My mom had just died, and I hadn't even been there an hour, before the first slap came. My life wasn't so good whilst there." I was sucked into the memory, and my British voice came out with strangled words. It was always hard to talk about.

"H-he abused me." I whispered and my dad growled. He was really upset - understandably. I shifted so I leaned against him, and held Minnie's hand.

"When I was 15, I became pregnant. I didn't want the baby; it was the outcome of my uncle's abuse. When Amelia and James found out, I got a bad beating. Dumb as they were, they continued beating me and didn't give me anymore food. I miscarried." Rosalie looked like she was about to cry. Emmett looked really shaken and my dad was shaking with anger. Jasper didn't look too good either; Alice was looking at me with compassion in her eyes. Esme looked like she was about to cry too. Edward was looking furious. I told them how they kicked me out of the house with a sprained leg and a broken rib. I told them about my days on streets, how I met Felix.

"In December 1693, James came after me. He had been turned into a vampire. He did _it_ again; though this time it was worse. He was being too rough for a human to handle it. He changed me. It still disgusts me to know that it is _his_ venom that changed me. I killed him when I woke up. Felix had stayed with me during my change and followed me. When I had ripped James apart, I knew I had to burn him so I ran to the forest and started the fire. I took Felix with me to the cave I lived in and when he was asleep, I took off hunting meat for him. That was how I discovered the animal blood. We moved around a lot; I worked at hospitals-" I was cut off.

"You worked at hospitals?" My dad asked me. I smiled at him.

"Mom told me it was your dream. I thought you were dead, so I wanted to live it for you," He beamed at me. He hugged me even tighter.

"Anyway, I came home from work one day to find Felix sick. I changed him. His change was weird though; it lasted exactly one week on the second. He has better hearing, smell and speed than us; he's smarter than a human, he can project thoughts into your head when he forms a bond with you. I can hear him always, but I think that's because I am his sire. It was such a shock for me when I heard it the first time." I grinned. My Papa was looking at me with awe in his eyes.  
"My Choco, you are truly remarkable," he told me. I smiled slightly and leaned into him. I never wanted to let go.

"Thanks, Papa," I whipsered. He suddenly looked sad.

"And I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Angel. If I had been more careful, smarter, I would have been able to take care of you! I'm so sorry I let you down, Choco" he said. I frowned at him.

"Daddy, it wasn't your fault. How were you supposed to know? We can't change the past, and if we could, I'm not sure this was one we should change. What happened made me who I am, made _you_ who _you_ are. We can be together as a family now, dad, and I wouldn't change that for the world," I told him, smiling. He drew me in for another hug, a´nd I could feel him shaking. His hand was stroking my hair, and I relaxed at the gesture. Yes, we'd be able to be a family now, and that's all that counted for me.

Taking a deep breath, I continued with my story.

"In 1703 I came across a vampire out snacking. She intrigued me, because all the memories I got from her, were those of her vampire life. She was 5 years old, and when she turned to look at me she snarled. Minnie and I have been companions, best friends and sisters ever since." She smiled at me.

Both Minnie and I shared some of our stories – how we left England and moved to Sweden. How we always ended up finding abandoned cottages in forests to fix and live in. We told them about our various jobs, our high school and college experiences. How we taught Felix how to read – my daddy was especially excited about that – we told them of our stint in Volterra and how we said goodbye to them after three years. Emmett especially liked the story about me beating down Felix of the Volturi a peg or two.  
During our story telling, I never let go of my Papa. When we finally finished telling out stories, I asked my dad to tell me his.  
"Haven't you already seen it, Choco?" He asked. I smiled and nuzzled further into him, feeling truly content and happy. I never wanted to leave the warm embrace of my Papa, never wanted to let him go. Now that I had found him, I intended to stay with him forever and ever. 300 years without him had made me an absolute addict to his presence.  
"Yes I have, but I want to hear what you thought and felt during that time. I only see things objectively. I can't know the reasons behind your actions," I explained. He kissed my temple and thought back. He explained how when he had been turned, all he could think of was me and my mother; how he had let us down, how he couldn't disappoint us, even if we never saw him again. He told about the one glance he had gotten of me and my mother after he had been turned and how it had filled his heart with pain. As I listened to the stories I couldn't help but admire him. He was so strong, so willing to fight for what he believed was right. He was the most amazing father in the world.

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**I hope I got that right. It's the moment we've all been waiting for, after all!**

**Cheers!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hello everybody. First, I'd like to apologize (again!) for the way too long wait. I just haven't had the time, and I'm sorry. I know that's no excuse, but I hope it'll explain why it's been almost two months since the last update.  
The truth is, I'm trying to balance my after-school activities with my homework and assignments, and I get caught up in everything and can't find the energy to start writing. **

**Now, on to happier things: I've got almost 100 reviews for this story! I actually can't believe the amount of feedback you guys have given me - it's absolutely amazing, and so, so encouraging, to know that people _actually_ read what I write, and like it! This story has been one of my favourites since I started writing it, so I couldn't have asked for more, and I really hope you've enjoyed this journey with me, as this is the last chapter. **

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When Papa was done explaining, we just sat silently together on the couch, soaking in each other's presence. I couldn't believe my luck; I'd finally found the man I had thrived to be like through all of my years as a vampire. I could see his pride for me; he was so amazed with me, and how I had turned out to be, after everything I had been through.  
While we sat together, Min got to know the rest of the family, and answered any questions they might have of our time together. Emmett was out playing with Felix – the two had instantly formed a bond; Felix because – despite his intelligence – he was still a dog that loved to play fetch, and Emmett because he had always wanted a pet, but as they were all afraid of him, he'd never had one. I could hear Emmett laughing outside as he threw a ball with all of his strength and let Fee-Fee get it, before repeating. When they both grew bored, they started to wrestle. Felix was an amazing fighter, for an animal. Emmett enjoyed the challenge of their play.

Rosalie sat for herself mostly, seemingly thinking of her newly discovered power. It was incredible that she had never found out before, actually. I couldn't wait for her to explore it; maybe she'd let me help her. I was a little afraid that my initial meeting with her might spoil any chance of forming a relationship with her, but I hoped that, given time, we'd become close. I knew she held a special place in my Papa's heart, so I'd really like for us to be close.

Alice and Jasper were speaking with Min, Jasper having a comforting arm around his mate's shoulders. I already knew that Alice and I would become great friends – I had a feeling that I had brought the closure she needed, had solved the mystery of her past, so that she would now be able to move on. Jasper had done a complete one-eighty from the time he thought I was an intruder – I could respect the fact that he only wanted to protect his family, and given the way I had showed up, I couldn't blame him for thinking I was an enemy. He'd lived through so much; he was so strong, and at the smallest sign of danger, he was ready to protect those he cared for. It was a trait I admired. He was no longer glaring me either. In fact, I believe him and I will become quite close, with our mutual understanding of fighting. Edward was still trying to figure me out, it seemed. He was staring at me, at least, with a deep, thoughtful expression on his face. It made me feel like I was blushing, something I was sure Min was picking up on, if her wiggling eyebrows and playful looks my way were any indication.

It was actually Esme that finally interrupted my Papa and my little bubble. She sat down next to me and looked directly at me. She seemed nervous, but I didn't want to pry into her intentions. Instead I just smiled at her.

"Bella, I was hoping we could talk," she said in a small voice. I didn't want to leave my dad, so I just nodded, continuing to smile at her. I liked her already – she was everything my Papa needed, and he was happy with her, so I was happy for them.  
"I know I can't replace your mother-" I stopped her right there.  
"Esme, my mother died over 300 years ago. When I was 13. Sure, I miss her, but I have gotten over her death, and have been for quite a while. I don't expect you to immediately pick me up and call me a daughter, but I'd like to think that I could use a mother in my life. I've been on my own, or with Min and Felix, for so long, and been making my own mistakes and decisions that I might not need guidance, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't like it. If you'll have me, we're family," I told her softly. I could feel my father's arms tighten around me as he watched the worried expression on his mate's face morph into one of pure joy. I beamed and went to hug her. Her arms wound around me and rocked my quietly, just like I imagined a mother would her child. While I would always remember my mother, she had been gone for so long that I had almost forgotten how it felt to be comforted by a parental figure.  
"Oh Bella. You have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that. And of course you're welcome in the family. In fact, I would be sad to see you go anywhere. Minnie and Felix are of course welcome as well. I'd be honored to be your family," she whispered. I was so happy to be with this amazing family, that I could see Jasper being affected by my giddiness. He didn't seem to mind though – it was like something had changed within the family, like Min, Fee-Fee and I had been the missing piece in a puzzle. I'd like to think that anyway, since for me, it felt like everything had finally come together in the way it was supposed to be.

"Bells, can I just say how awesome Felix is? It's like, he's the most awesome animal on the planet. Up until now, that place was held by the Grizzly. But not even the Grizzly can compare! Man, Bells, you rock!" Emmett exclaimed as he came barging in. I laughed at his enthusiasm, because I could feel Felix was agreeing with Emmett – he was the most awesome animal in the world. Also, Felix seemed to like Emmett too, and it wouldn't surprise me if the two soon formed a similar bond to that of Minnie and FeeFee.

"Great to know you feel that way, Emmett. And Felix agrees with you; he, too, thinks he's the most awesome animal on the planet," I smirked and Felix playfully nudged my arm as he came to stand in front of me. Emmett's booming laughter could be heard all the way to town, I think.  
"A sense of humor, I see. I like you – you're going to be a great baby sis," he said and ruffled my hair. I growled at him good-humoredly.  
"I'll have you know that I am over one-and-a-half centuries older than you are, _Emmy_, so that would make _you_ the baby bro," I told him, much to his chagrin and the amusement of the others.  
"So not fair! Just because I was changed later than all of you, it makes me the baby of the family! Even if I'm older than both Edward, you, Minnie, Alice, even Rosalie!" he whined and I can't help but grin smugly at him.  
"Too bad Em," I said with a shrug.

It wasn't long before we fell into a comfortable routine. I joined the Cullen's table, along with Felix, in school. The story was that Minnie had met Carlisle at the hospital and they had found out that she and I were his distant cousin's children, and when he found out he had died and we were living alone, he had welcomed us to stay with him. No one questioned anything as they were all too busy ogling the new arrivals in town. I had overheard several of the male students talking about faking an illness of some sort, to go check out 'the hot new doctor'. When they weren't too busy talking about me, of course, seeing as I was apparently the main attraction, being both the new girl and having unnatural beauty. I was used to it, and they'd get over it, eventually. Edward, however, didn't find it amusing. He could hear their thoughts and wasn't very excited about what he found. I could only question why; I had thought we had some sort of connection, especially since he had been growling right along my father when I had told them my story, but he didn't seem to be interested. It made me sad, made me think that maybe he didn't believe I was good enough for him, since he hadn't made a move. I could feel this tugging sensation in my chest whenever I was near him, and wondered if he could feel it too. I sometimes caught him staring at me with that thoughtful expression on his face, and when we spoke, everything clicked. He was sweet and interesting, romantic and thoughtful. He was smart and insightful and for the life of me I couldn't figure out why he hadn't tried to make a move on me. I mean, it's not that I'm conceited or anything, but I had seen the way he was looking at me, and it didn't make any sense at all. Minnie was always teasing me about us, saying stuff like 'why aren't you out with your mate,' and things like that.

I was right about Emmett and Felix – it didn't take long for them to form that special bond that meant they could communicate. Emmett was delighted and he loved to hunt with him. Rosalie seemed happier now, if it was because her family was growing, or because Emmett was happier, I couldn't tell. She and I had talked about a lot of things, grown closer. As it turns out, she really had needed someone who understood what she had been through to talk with. I helped her as best as I could, telling her about what I had done, and we had grown a lot closer because of it, just like I had hoped we would. I helped her with her gift, finding injured animals in the forest we could help. they were terrified of us, but Rosalie seemed to enjoy the fact that she wasn't only a killer; she could also be a healer. If we ever wound up in a fight and one of us got hurt, I had no doubt she'd be able to fix us right back up.

Alice and I had hit it off almost right off the bat. When she'd gotten over the fact that I could tell her past, she had asked a lot of questions, and I had answered as honestly as I could. She and Minnie had bonded over their lack of knowledge when they woke up to this life, and their mutual like of fashion (something Minnie had discovered after she had gone shopping with the little pixie).

I was happy that Minnie seemed to fit in just as well with my father's family as I found that I did. Emmett and Jasper quickly became like big brothers to me – though I liked to tease Emmett with the fact that I was over 150 years older than him. I'd never had such a big family before, and I couldn't be happier. Rosalie and Alice were quickly becoming just as much sisters to me as Minnie was, and Esme and I shared a bond that was much deeper than that of a regular woman and her step-daughter. The first time I called her 'mom' she had hugged me so tight that it felt like I couldn't breathe (which was a feat, seeing as I didn't actually _have_ to breathe). Papa swelled with joy and pride every time he saw me and Esme interact with each other, and I could see how much he loved that I fit in so well with the family he had built for himself. He was also very fond of both Min and FeeFee, and we had even called Aro to inform him that Min, Felix and I now lived with one Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his family. Though Aro wasn't overjoyed with the fact that we were now the biggest coven besides the Volturi, and had such powerful gifts among us, he didn't complain as it was himself that had set me on track to find my father. Also, he knew that Papa and the rest of the family liked to keep to themselves, as did Min and I, so he didn't see us as a threat to his power.

The first time I heard Edward play the piano, I was mesmerized. He was so skilled, and his compositions so beautiful, that I could just sit there and look at him with awe as his fingers flew across the keys. The piece was so complex and filled with emotions – it was simply heavenly. It felt like it told a story – the story of the Cullen family. For example, when the piece smoothly transitioned to 'speak' of Alice, it became energetic and playful with a hint of seriousness and passion that fit her so well. It seemed that Edward played more now, and Esme would always just stop to listen to whatever he was playing. She confided in me that it had been a long time since he had actually composed something, and that she was so happy to hear him do it again.

Currently, I was sitting in my dad's office reading one of his many books. He had one of the most extensive personal libraries I had ever seen, including me and Min's. Min was at a shift at the hospital with Papa, Esme were puttering around with her garden, Emmett and Jasper were out with Felix hunting, and Alice and Rosalie were poring over some magazine. I was shaken out of my little bubble of reading at the knock on the door. The scent that accompanied the knock was Edward's and I wondered what he wanted, since he usually just came in and joined me if he wanted to read.

"Yes?" I called softly. He stuck his head through the door, and smiled slightly at me. I raised an eyebrow in silent question of what he wanted as I smiled back.  
"I was wondering if you wanted to join me for a hunt?" he asked, his velvety voice flowing over me soothingly. I bookmarked where I was and put the book down. With a nod I rose from the window-seat and went to join him. We ran leisurely through the vast forest, stopping only to let our senses out to search for prey.

It didn't take long before I could hear the heavy, thudding sound of an elk's heart.  
"Wanna share?" I asked and took off, Edward following right behind me. I had never shared a meal with anyone before, as usually vampires are very territorial, but I was comfortable with Edward, and didn't think I'd end up attacking him. We easily caught the big animal and I snapped its neck before it realized what was going on. I latched onto its neck near the ear, and could see Edward going for the artery a little further down its neck.

I was wrong. I did end up attacking him, but not in the way I had thought earlier. I made the mistake of glancing at him when we fed, and I could see his eyes darkening when he looked right back at me. As soon as the blood had let up, he grabbed me, and planted a kiss right on my lips. Tp say I was shocked, yet overjoyed would be an understatement. When he pulled back I was very disappointed. When he started to apologize, I frowned. "Sorry Bella, I-" this was when I attacked him. I somehow managed to fling myself at him so hard that he fell to the ground, before I attached my lips to his.  
"It's okay, I _really_ don't mind," I whispered before kissing him again. My hands went to his hair as I lost myself in the heavenly sensation that was his lips on mine.

Safe is it to say we've been together ever since.

I finally made him confess that he had feelings for me.  
"Finally!" I said, right before I kissed him. The family echoed that sentiment as we told them. Minnie would not stop grinning at me, and even Felix wagged his tail excessively.  
The funniest part by far though, was when Emmett convinced Papa to give Edward 'the Father Talk' about his intentions towards his little girl. I had never heard Edward inarticulate before, but when Papa sat him down seriously in his office and used his very best 'Father-tone' and asked him what his intentions toward me were, Edward sputtered and stuttered so bad that none of us understood a word of what he was saying. Emmett was dying of laughter when Edward joined us again. Even Rosalie, who usually just rolled her eyes at Emmett's stupid jokes, was laughing at Edward's face. I was sure he would have been beet red if he'd had any blood running through his veins.

I remember the time Papa first invited me, Min and FeeFee to Alaska to visit the 'extended family' as they liked to call it. I had never, ever been in such a loving and tightly knit family as the Cullens, so I couldn't wait to see Tanya, Kate, Irina, Carmen and Eleazar.

It was a couple of weeks after Edward and I had finally gotten together, and we had not really let each other out of our sights for long.

Papa had failed to mention to the Denali's that his family had been extended by another three members, so they were quite shocked when we stood there with the Cullens. Eleazar stared at us in wonder – Papa had told me of his gift, and I was sure he had never come across a gift quite like mine. It was so layered and complicated that even I sometimes didn't understand it.  
"Holy Mother of God, Carlisle, I have no idea how you keep gathering people with such gifts!" were his first words. Papa grinned proudly and tucked me into his side.  
"Eleazar, I would like you to meet the newest addition to our family. This here is Minnie, Felix and my biological daughter, Isabella." The other members of the Denali-clan's mouths dropped.  
"I'm Bella, it's nice to meet you," I said and stuck out my hand. When I got to Tanya, though, I narrowed my eyes a little. She had always had her sights set on Edward, and I didn't like it.  
"I'm the daughter of Carlisle, and the mate of Edward," I finished my introduction. I could see Minnie smirking at me, as I staked my claim, but I ignored her.

"Well, this is quite the shock, but what lovely news!" Carmen, the mother figure of the Denali's exclaimed and hugged me.

After the initial awkwardness between Tanya and I, we actually became great friends. She was fun and outgoing, and her humor was very similar to mine. Kate was fascinated by my gift and even Irina, who was usually the cautious one, seemed intrigued. Eleazar, however, was almost as bad as Papa in his curiosity. Between the two of them, not a single stone was left unturned.

"It's beautiful out here, Edward," I whispered as we lay close in his meadow. It was night and the sky was for once cloudless. The stars had always been a spectacular sight to the vampire eye, but being here, with Edward, was a whole other experience.  
"It is. Though not quite as beautiful as you," I grinned at his corny words and kissed his cheek.  
"I didn't bring you out here to look at the stars, though," he said softly and shifted so that he could look me in the eye.  
"From the day you entered our home, even if slightly unconventional, I knew you were special. You're kind, strong, beautiful – everything I could have ever dreamed of and more. I don't believe I've ever said it before, but I've always thought it. I love you-" I gasped. He was right, he had never said that before. I could feel the tears that would never fall well in my eyes, and I went to reply, but he his fingers in front of my lips. "-I love you. I love you so much that I sometimes believe it can't be possible for one person to love another so much. And so therefore, I'd like to ask you something. I want everyone to be able to see that you and I belong together. I want to show the world that you are mine. I want to love you for the rest of eternity. So I'm asking you; Isabella Marie Cullen, would you marry me?" I was speechless. It was so beautiful, the way he asked, and I could never had asked for anything more.  
"Of course. Of course I will! Oh Edward, I love you too, so much," I whispered. A breathtaking smile appeared across his lips and he fished out a little box from his pocket. Inside the most beautiful ring I had ever seen was displayed.  
"It's beautiful, Edward," I said softly as he slid the ring on my finger. It fit perfectly.  
"It was my mother's," he said, and I cherished it all the more for it. When I looked into his eyes, I knew I didn't have to say anything; he understood what I felt. I leaned forward and kissed him softly, pouring my heart and soul into it.

When we got home that night, Alice and Minnie were squealing and jumping around, hugging each other and every family member they could reach. When Edward and I came through the door hand in hand, they screamed outright and ran to hug me, gushing all the while. I laughed at their antics as they went to hug Edward, and I was passed from person to person for a hug and a "congratulations!". Felix jumped up and laid his front paws on my shoulders, his thoughts portraying his happiness for me, as he licked my face and attempted to hug me. I laughed as I scratched his ears and kissed his nose.

My father was the happiest, I think. He looked so proud and so overjoyed. When he hugged me, I could feel his love and happiness for me.  
"I'm so happy for you, Choco. I love you," he whispered in my ear. I smiled into his chest.  
"I love you too, Papa," I pulled back just a little to look into his eyes.  
"I actually wrote something Papa. A song. In your memory." I said. I had never played it to him before, but I knew that he would appreciate it. The melody I had heard when I was changed I had somehow managed to recreate with the piano. The lyrics had come over time; when I had learned that my father was actually alive, I started playing it more often. I never knew if I would actually find him, but now that I had, I wanted him to hear it.  
"You did?" he asked.  
"I first heard the melody in my head when I was changed. Over time, I put it to life and played it on the piano. When I knew you were still alive, the lyrics came to me. I didn't know if I would ever find you, but here we are, and I want you to hear it," I said. He smiled at me, love shining in his eyes. He kissed my forehead before I pulled away and sat down on the piano bench. Minnie came and joined me – she knew the lyrics as well as I did, and I was glad for her support. This song held so much emotion; it had gotten me through the worst of times when I had been looking for Papa and had almost given up. Minnie knew this, and having her beside me could make me forget that and just play the song I knew would mean a lot to my father.

I played the intro softly, humming along as my fingers stroked the keys carefully. I knew everyone was listening with rapt attention, especially my Papa.

"_Back when I was a child_

_Before life removed all the innocence_

_My father would lift me high_

_And dance with my mother and me and then-  
spin me around 'til I fell- fell asleep._

_Then up the stairs he would carry me _

_And I knew for sure, I was loved_

_If I could get, another chance_

_Another walk, another dance with him_

_I'd play I song that would never, ever end _

_How I'd love, love, love_

_-To dance with my father, again_

_When I and my mother would disagree _

_To get my way I would run from her to him_

_He'd make me laugh just to comfort me _

_Oh, and finally make me do, just what my mother said_

_Later that night when I fell asleep_

_He left a dollar under my sheet_

_Never dreamed that he-_

_would be gone from me, no_

_If I could steal, one final glance,_

_One final step, one final dance with him_

_I'd play a song that would never, ever end_

'_cause I'd love, love, love _

_-To dance with my father, again" (Dance with father again - Tamyra Grey version)_

The last notes of the song fade out and I feel a hand on my shoulder. I look up into the awed face of my father as he reaches out his hand for me. I take it and I hear Minnie start playing the song again. Papa pulls me into a slow dance as Minnie play the soft notes and I lay my head on his shoulder.  
"I love you, Choco, always," he whispers into my hair. I smile into his chest again, wishing I could shed the tears building in my eyes.  
"I love you Papa, always," I repeat his words as I get to dance with my father again. And this time, I get to dance with him for eternity. I get to see him every day and be a part of his family again.

My song would never, _ever_ end.

End.

* * *

**There we have it! I hope the end was worth there only being this one chapter. Now, I know I said there'd be more, but when I wrote this, it seemed like the perfect time to end it. I hope you agree :D **

**Once again, I would like to thank all of you for your amazing support throughout this story; it never would have gotten this far without you! Thanks to everyone who's reviewed, fav'd me and my stories, followed this and put me on both Story and Author's Alert. It means more to me than you can imagine. **

**I know that you will most likely think I'm spending too much time doing an A/N, but I simply can't press the "Status: Complete" button without having told all of you how much I've enjoyed reading your reviews and seeing the numbers of visitors and hits. I feel giddy and amazed when I see the numbers and I can't express my joy when I see it. So thank you, all of you. 3**

**But a special thanks to Jeredith: my friend, I don't believe I can ever thank you enough for your support. You've been simply amazing. **

**I hope too hear from you all during my next story! I'm already writing it, and I do hope you'll like it. This one is a Bella/Jasper pairing, which will hopefully be recieved as well as this one has been. The working title so far is _Second Chances_, so be on look out! **

**Cheers!**

**-Lu**


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